help 1 of 2

verb

ˈhelp How to pronounce help (audio)
Definition of helpnext
1
as in to assist
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end offered to help her widowed father when he moved into an apartment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to alleviate
to make more bearable or less severe the new ointment didn't help Josh's sunburn one bit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance they couldn't help the way things turned out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to benefit
to provide with something useful or desirable being independently wealthy certainly helped him during his years as a struggling young artist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to improve
to make better some minor revisions would help this essay immensely

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

help

2 of 2

noun

1
as in assist
an act or instance of helping I could use your help getting this tire back on the car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in benefit
a thing that helps the computer is a great help for writing reports

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in staff
a body of persons at work or available for work it's so hard to get good help these days

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word help distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of help are ameliorate, better, and improve. While all these words mean "to make more acceptable or to bring nearer a standard," help implies a bettering that still leaves room for improvement.

a coat of paint would help that house

In what contexts can ameliorate take the place of help?

Although the words ameliorate and help have much in common, ameliorate implies making more tolerable or acceptable conditions that are hard to endure.

tried to ameliorate the lives of people in the tenements

How do improve and better relate to one another, in the sense of help?

Both improve and better are general and interchangeable and apply to what can be made better whether it is good or bad.

measures to further improve the quality of medical care
immigrants hoping to better their lot

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of help
Verb
Mary Corcoran, Save America's executive director, said her group's volunteers have been monitoring precincts during early voting in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio to help give voters a sense of security. — Steve Peoples, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026 Combining several groups helps maintain performance by sharing the load. — New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2026
Noun
Independence police are asking for help finding a black SUV believed to be connected to the February killing of an electrician. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026 Exod With help from stakes and guy lines, the air beams then hold the tent fabric high and taut, creating a voluminous cabin ready to house a tactical table and everyone who has a stake in drafting the master plan. — New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for help
Recent Examples of Synonyms for help
  1. assist
  2. alleviate
  3. prevent
  4. benefit
  5. improve
  6. assistance
  7. advantage
  8. staff
Verb
  • Gritsyuk and Hischier each scored their fifth goal of the season, with Jesper Bratt assisting on both scores.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • However, guests with mobility needs should note that the entrance requires navigating a set of external steps, though hotel staff are readily available to assist.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of assist
Verb
  • Beyond alleviating school traffic and stadium congestion, the project serves as a major utility corridor.
    — Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Eric Talley, a law professor at Columbia University and corporate law expert, told CNBC that a merger could alleviate shareholders' worries about where Musk is spending his time and his companies' resources.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of alleviate
Verb
  • Riyadh said the discussions were aimed at keeping diplomatic channels open and preventing another escalation in hostilities.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Such a concentration of power could prevent the effective maintenance of checks and balances on policy decisions by institutions.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of prevent
Verb
  • Now Republicans are the ones who bend the maps to benefit their party.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Coupled with job-displacement fears from AI, opponents now point to the facilities as a physical symbol of who benefits from the boom and who gets stuck with the bill.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of benefit
Verb
  • The performance of hydrocarbons must be considered as part of a wider system that is simultaneously scaling clean electricity input and improving efficiency across the value chain.
    — H.E. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In comparison, 58% say state and local governments improve their lives, while 56% say the same of businesses and 77% of charitable and advocacy groups.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of improve
Noun
  • Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo in west-central New Mexico, once relied on government assistance as a single mother.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Dozens of people were convicted in connection with a sprawling, $250-million children’s food assistance scheme that predated this administration, though more charges have been announced in recent months.
    — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of assistance
Noun
  • Though 57% of voters say the Democratic Party does not have a clear vision for the future, Republicans hold no advantage in this category either, according to a CBS News poll released on Sunday.
    — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Joe Burrow gives the Bengals the quarterback advantage, and the extra preparation strengthens their case.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of advantage
Noun
  • Why staff a Tier-1 customer support desk when an agent can resolve the same tickets at a quarter of the cost.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of staff

Browse Nearby Words

helots
help
helped
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Help.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/help. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All