Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
If you help someone, you make something easier for them. When help has this meaning, it can be followed by an infinitive, with or without to. For example, you can say 'I helped him to move the desk' or 'I helped him move the desk'. There is no difference in meaning.
You can also use help as an intransitive verb, followed by an infinitive with or without to. If someone helps do something or helps to do it, they help other people to do it.
If something helps do something or helps to do it, it makes it easier for that thing to be done.
Don't use an -ing form after help. Don't say, for example, 'I helped moving the desk' or 'I helped him moving the desk'.
If you cannot help doing something, you are unable to prevent yourself from doing it.
Don't use a to-infinitive after cannot help. Don't say, for example, 'I couldn't help to tease him a little'.
Past participle: helped
|Noun||1.||help - the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose; "he gave me an assist with the housework"; "could not walk without assistance"; "rescue party went to their aid"; "offered his help in unloading"|
activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity"
self-help - the act of helping or improving yourself without relying on anyone else
facilitation - act of assisting or making easier the progress or improvement of something
recourse, refuge, resort - act of turning to for assistance; "have recourse to the courts"; "an appeal to his uncle was his last resort"
thanks - with the help of or owing to; "thanks to hard work it was a great success"
ministration, succor, succour, relief - assistance in time of difficulty; "the contributions provided some relief for the victims"
lift - the act of giving temporary assistance
service - an act of help or assistance; "he did them a service"
accommodation - the act of providing something (lodging or seat or food) to meet a need
comfort - assistance, such as that provided to an enemy or to a known criminal; "it gave comfort to the enemy"
support - aiding the cause or policy or interests of; "the president no longer has the support of his own party"; "they developed a scheme of mutual support"
|2.||help - a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose; "my invaluable assistant"; "they hired additional help to finish the work"|
coadjutor - an assistant to a bishop
worker - a person who works at a specific occupation; "he is a good worker"
accomplice, confederate - a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan (especially an unethical or illegal plan)
bat boy - (baseball) a boy who takes care of bats and other baseball equipment
dental assistant - an assistant to a dentist
event planner - someone who plans social events as a profession (usually for government or corporate officials)
facilitator - someone who makes progress easier
flower girl - a young girl who carries flowers in a (wedding) procession
girl Friday - a female assistant who has a range of duties
birthing coach, doula, labor coach, monitrice - an assistant (often the father of the soon-to-be-born child) who provides support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes
underboss - an assistant or second-in-command to a chief (especially in a crime syndicate)
fashion model, manakin, mannequin, mannikin, manikin, model - a woman who wears clothes to display fashions; "she was too fat to be a mannequin"
poser, model - a person who poses for a photographer or painter or sculptor; "the president didn't have time to be a model so the artist worked from photos"
paraprofessional - a trained worker who is not a member of a profession but who assists a professional
powder monkey - someone who carries explosives (as from the magazine to the guns on board a warship)
prompter, theater prompter - someone who assists a performer by providing the next words of a forgotten speech
secretarial assistant, secretary - an assistant who handles correspondence and clerical work for a boss or an organization
sidesman - (Church of England) an assistant to the churchwarden; collects offerings of money in the church
subordinate, subsidiary, underling, foot soldier - an assistant subject to the authority or control of another
whipper-in - huntsman's assistant in managing the hounds
|3.||help - a resource; "visual aids in teaching"|
resource - a source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed; "the local library is a valuable resource"
|4.||help - a means of serving; "of no avail"; "there's no help for it"|
helpfulness - the property of providing useful assistance
|Verb||1.||help - give help or assistance; be of service; "Everyone helped out during the earthquake"; "Can you help me carry this table?"; "She never helps around the house"|
facilitate, alleviate, ease - make easier; "you could facilitate the process by sharing your knowledge"
wait on, attend to, assist, attend, serve - work for or be a servant to; "May I serve you?"; "She attends the old lady in the wheelchair"; "Can you wait on our table, please?"; "Is a salesperson assisting you?"; "The minister served the King for many years"
benefact - help as a benefactor; "The father benefacted his daughter in more ways than she was aware of"
help out - be of help, as in a particular situation of need; "Can you help out tonight with the dinner guests?"
subserve - be helpful or useful
avail - be of use to, be useful to; "It will avail them to dispose of their booty"
bootstrap - help oneself, often through improvised means
|2.||help - improve the condition of; "These pills will help the patient"|
cure, bring around, heal - provide a cure for, make healthy again; "The treatment cured the boy's acne"; "The quack pretended to heal patients but never managed to"
ameliorate, improve, meliorate, amend, better - to make better; "The editor improved the manuscript with his changes"
|3.||help - be of use; "This will help to prevent accidents"|
serve - contribute or conduce to; "The scandal served to increase his popularity"
|4.||help - abstain from doing; always used with a negative; "I can't help myself--I have to smoke"; "She could not help watching the sad spectacle"|
|5.||help - help to some food; help with food or drink; "I served him three times, and after that he helped himself"|
dish, dish up, serve up, dish out, serve - provide (usually but not necessarily food); "We serve meals for the homeless"; "She dished out the soup at 8 P.M."; "The entertainers served up a lively show"
|6.||help - contribute to the furtherance of; "This money will help the development of literacy in developing countries"|
|7.||help - take or use; "She helped herself to some of the office supplies"|
|8.||help - improve; change for the better; "New slipcovers will help the old living room furniture"|
aid fight, bar, block, oppose, frustrate, discourage, foil, hinder, obstruct, impede, hobble
improve aggravate, make worse, hurt, injure, harm, irritate
assistance opposition, obstruction, hindrance, block, discouragement
"Often we can help each other most by leaving each other alone; at other times we need the hand-grasp and the word of cheer" [Elbert Hubbard The Note Book]
"God helps them that help themselves"
"Many hands make light work"
thanks for your help → gracias por ayudarme, gracias por tu ayuda
the books were not much help → los libros no me sirvieron de mucho
to ask (sb) for help → pedir ayuda (a algn)
he is beyond help → ya no se puede hacer nada por él
to call for help (= ask for help) → pedir ayuda or auxilio; (= shout for help) → pedir ayuda or auxilio a gritos
to come to sb's help → acudir en ayuda or auxilio de algn
financial help → ayuda f económica
to get help he rushed off to get help → salió corriendo en busca de ayuda
you'll get no help from me → yo no te pienso ayudar
to go to sb's help → acudir en ayuda or auxilio de algn
you've been a great help to me → me has ayudado muchísimo
you're a great help! (iro) → ¡valiente ayuda!
medical help → asistencia f médica
it's no help (to say that) → no sirve de nada (decir eso)
there's no help for it but to → no hay más remedio que + subjun
to be of help to sb → ayudar a algn
can I be of help? → ¿puedo ayudar?
I was glad to be of help → me alegré de poder ayudar
you should seek professional help → deberías consultar a un profesional, deberías pedir asesoramiento
to shout for help → pedir ayuda or auxilio a gritos
I could use some help → una ayudita no me vendría mal
with the help of → con la ayuda de
with his brother's help → con la ayuda de su hermano
with the help of a knife → con un cuchillo, ayudándose con un cuchillo
she has no help in the house → no tiene a nadie que le ayude en la casa
he got his brother to help him → consiguió que su hermano lo ayudara
that won't help you → eso no te va a servir de nada, eso no te va a ayudar
can I help you? (in shop) → ¿qué deseaba?, ¿en qué le puedo servir?
to help (to) do sth → ayudar a hacer algo
to help sb (to) do sth → ayudar a algn a hacer algo
to help each other/one another → ayudarse el uno al otro
to help sb across the road → ayudar a algn a cruzar la calle
to help sb to their feet → ayudar a algn a levantarse
to help sb on/off with his coat → ayudar a algn a ponerse/quitarse el abrigo
I couldn't stand so he helped me up → no me podía poner de pie así que él me ayudó
let me help you with that suitcase → deja que te ayude or que te eche una mano con esa maleta
so help me God (as part of oath) → y que Dios me ayude
so help me, I'll kill him! → ¡te lo juro que lo mato!
"why are you laughing?" - "I can't help it" → -¿por qué te ríes? -no lo puedo evitar
I can't help it, I just don't like him → es superior a mí, me cae mal
"it's rather late now" - "I can't help that, you should have come earlier" → -ahora es bastante tarde -no es mi culpa, tenías que haber llegado antes
it can't be helped → no hay más remedio, ¿qué se le va a hacer?
he won't if I can help it → si de mí depende, no lo hará
can I help it if it rains? → ¿es mi culpa si llueve?
don't spend more than you can help → no gastes más de lo necesario
you can't help feeling sorry for him → no puede uno (por) menos de sentir lástima por él
don't think about helping others, think about helping yourself → no pienses en ayudar a los demás, piensa en ayudarte a ti mismo
you won't help yourself by keeping silent → no te vas a hacer ningún favor guardando el silencio
God helps those who help themselves → a Dios rogando y con el mazo dando
help yourself! → ¡sírvete!
she helped herself to vegetables → se sirvió verdura
I was only trying to help → sólo intentaba ayudar
that doesn't help much → eso no sirve de mucho
it helps if you plan ahead → resulta más fácil si haces los planes por adelantado
every little helps → todo ayuda
Dad helped out with £200 → papá ayudó or echó una mano con 200 libras
to need help → avoir besoin d'aide
Do you need any help? → Vous avez besoin d'aide?
She needs help to get up the stairs → Elle a besoin d'aide pour monter ses escaliers.
He needs help with getting dressed → Il a besoin d'aide pour s'habiller.
to cry for help → appeler à l'aide
with sb's help → avec l'aide de qn
with the help of sth → à l'aide de qch
to be of help to sb → rendre service à qn
to be a great help
Thanks, you've been a great help → Merci, vous m'avez vraiment rendu service.
not much help
The book wasn't much help → Ce livre n'a pas été d'une grande utilité.
help! → au secours!
Can you help me? → Est-ce que vous pouvez m'aider?
to help sb to do sth, to help sb do sth → aider qn à faire qch
I helped him to fix his car → Je l'ai aidé à réparer sa voiture.
She helped her sit up in bed so she could hold her baby → Elle l'a aidée à s'asseoir dans le lit pour qu'elle puisse prendre son bébé.
to help sb with sth [+ problem, task] → aider qn avec qch
to be able to help o.s.
people who can help themselves → les gens qui savent se débrouiller
to help sb across the road → aider qn à traverser la route
I helped her to her feet → je l'ai aidée à se lever
The new law does little to help the environment → La nouvelle loi fait très peu en faveur de l'environnement.
to help o.s to sth [+ food, drink, things on offer] → se servir de qch
Help yourself to bread → Servez-vous de pain.
He helped himself to my wallet → Il m'a piqué mon portefeuille.
I had to have a look. I couldn't help myself → Il fallait que je regarde. Je ne pouvais pas m'en empêcher.
I can't help it → je n'y peux rien
He can't help it → Il n'y peut rien.
can't help doing sth
I can't help feeling sorry for him → Je ne peux pas m'empêcher de le plaindre.
it can't be helped (= it's unavoidable) → on n'y peut rien
to help by doing sth → apporter son aide en faisant qch
You can help by giving a donation → Vous pouvez apporter votre aide en faisant une donation.
with the help of → con l'aiuto di
without the help of sb/sth → senza l'aiuto di qn/qc
to be of help to sb → essere di aiuto or essere utile a qn
to call for help → chiedere or gridare aiuto
he gave me no help → non mi ha dato nessun aiuto
he is beyond help → è un caso senza speranza
there's no help for it → non c'è altro or nient'altro da fare
help! → aiuto!
to help sb (to) do sth → aiutare qn a far qc
to help sb with sth → aiutare qn con qc
I helped him with his luggage → l'ho aiutato a portare i bagagli
I got my sister to help me → mi sono fatta aiutare da mia sorella
that won't help much → non servirà a gran che
can I help you? (in shop) → desidera?
to help sb on/off with his/her coat → aiutare qn a mettersi/togliersi il cappotto
to help sb across/up/down → aiutare qn ad attraversare/a salire/a scendere
to help o.s. (to food) → servirsi, prendere (to other things, steal) → prendersi, arraffare
she can't help being stupid → cosa può farci se è stupida?
I couldn't help thinking ... → non potevo fare a meno di pensare...
it can't be helped → non ci si può fare (più) niente, non c'è niente da fare
he won't do it if I can help it → farò il possibile per impedirglielo
he can't help himself → non può farne a meno