help

help

verb

Definition of HELP

1

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 abet, aid, assist, back, backstop, prop (up), support

Related Words advance, ease, facilitate, forward, foster, further, launch; champion, endorse (also indorse), patronize, promote, sponsor; attend, care (for), comfort, minister (to), succor; sustain; bolster, boost, buttress, reinforce (also reenforce); advise, counsel, guide, mentor, nurture; bail out, deliver, rescue, save; embolden, encourage, hearten; benefit, favor, oblige, profit, serve

Phrases bear a hand, to stand one in good stead

Near Antonyms balk, bar, block, constrain, hamper, handicap, hold back, impede, inhibit, obstruct, restrain, strangle; baffle, foil, frustrate, inconvenience, interfere, oppose, sabotage, thwart; desert, disappoint, fail, let down; discourage, dishearten; repress, retard, stifle, straiten, stunt; damage, harm, hurt, injure

Antonyms hinder

2

to make more bearable or less severe <the new ointment didn't help Josh's sunburn one bit>

Synonyms allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, mitigate, mollify, palliate, relieve, soothe

Related Words abate, lighten, moderate, soften, temper; cure, heal, remedy; amend, correct, emend, fix, mend, rectify, reform, repair; ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refine

Near Antonyms harm, hurt, impair, injure; heighten, intensify, sharpen

Antonyms aggravate, exacerbate

3

to keep from happening by taking action in advance <they couldn't help the way things turned out>

Synonyms avert, forestall, head off, help, obviate, preclude, stave off

Related Words anticipate, provide; negate, neutralize, nullify; save; baffle, balk, checkmate, deter, foil, frustrate, thwart; bar, block, hamper, hinder, impede, interfere (with), retard, stall; deflect, fend (off), stop, ward (off); avoid, circumvent, dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, shake, shirk, shun; forbid, inhibit, prohibit; arrest, check, halt, stop; compensate (for), counteract, counterbalance, make up (for), offset

Near Antonyms abet, aid, assist; ease, facilitate, smooth, unclog; advance, cultivate, encourage, forward, foster, further, nurture, promote; allow, leave, let, permit

4

to provide with something useful or desirable <being independently wealthy certainly helped him during his years as a struggling young artist>

Synonyms advantage, avail, help, profit, serve

Related Words succeed, work (for); aid, assist; better, improve; content, delight, gladden, gratify, please, satisfy; bless

Near Antonyms hinder, impede; damage, harm, hurt, impair, injure; afflict, distress, upset

5

to make better <some minor revisions would help this essay immensely>

Synonyms ameliorate, amend, better, enhance, enrich, help, meliorate, perfect, refine, upgrade

Related Words correct, emend, rectify, reform, remediate, remedy; edit, fine-tune, redraft, refurbish, rehab, rehabilitate, revamp, revise, rework; beef (up), boost, fortify, intensify, reinforce (also reenforce), strengthen; fine, hone, polish; retouch, touch up

Near Antonyms damage, endamage, harm, hurt, impair, injure, spoil, tarnish, vitiate; blemish, blight, deface, disfigure, flaw, mar; diminish, lessen, lower, reduce

Antonyms worsen