help desk

noun

plural help desks

: a department or person that provides assistance and information usually for electronic or computer problems

Adding a work account is easier than it used to be, but if you're a technophobe, or if your company requires special security settings, call your help desk.

—Jeremy Caplan

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

help-desk questions

Pleas to reset forgotten passwords account for half of help-desk calls to Web sites, says RSA Security.

—Victoria Murphy Barret

Examples of help desk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The employee said the help desk is well-meaning and sometimes helpful, but often the fixes don’t work, and new tickets have to be submitted. —Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 9 Feb. 2024

These roles range from construction managers to sales supervisors to web developers and IT help desks. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024

The criminals have help desks, software to manage call volumes and specialists who generate leads, according to Amy Hogan-Burney, a former FBI attorney who is Microsoft’s general manager for cybersecurity policy and protection. —Michael Laris, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023

Consider a seemingly harmless request from the CEO to the help desk asking for admin rights to install an application. —Ilia Sotnikov, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023

After nearly two years, Lewis left to work at an IT help desk. —Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

The researchers continued: Octo Tempest commonly launches social engineering attacks targeting technical administrators, such as support and help desk personnel, who have permissions that could enable the threat actor to gain initial access to accounts. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 27 Oct. 2023

The growing focus on DEX success empowers users to act and self-solve their own problems without a need to contact the help desk, resulting in fewer support tickets. —Khadim Batti, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said personnel were on their way to Rhodes to set up a help desk at Rhodes International Airport for visitors who have lost their travel documents. —Demetris Nellas, USA TODAY, 23 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above