helpline

noun

help·​line ˈhelp-ˌlīn 

 Southern often  ˈhep-,

 also  ˈheəp-

variants or less commonly help line

plural helplines also help lines

: a phone service providing help or assistance: such as

a

: a telephone service that is usually available to the public and that provides advice, support, resources, etc. for some specific purpose (such as crisis intervention)

a free/confidential/24-hour helpline

He's also a peer support specialist for DeQH, a helpline for South Asian LGBTQ people.

—Rose Brennan

Calls to state addiction help lines have risen, as have alcohol use, drug overdoses and relapse rates, experts have said.

—Steve Janoski

… helpline volunteers offer support and basic information, locate treatment options in your area, and can help you find answers to any questions you may have.

—Radhika Menon

b

: a customer service line to provide support (such as technical support) for a product, service, etc.

Before making your purchase, phone the software vendor's customer helpline to make sure customer representatives are knowledgeable.

—Eric Berg

A user's guide, software documentation, and telephone helpline are included.

—Carol Tenopir

All week, Mata and other staffers have spent hours calling help lines set up by drug plan providers, only to get constant busy signals.

—Nicole Foy

Examples of helpline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For eating disorders: The National Eating Disorders Association runs a helpline offering support, resources and treatment options. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024

The health system also operates a confidential 24/7 call line at [phone] and a text helpline at [phone]. —Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024

Nighat Dad is a human-rights lawyer in Pakistan who runs a helpline for survivors being blackmailed using images, both real and manipulated. —Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024

Find other international suicide helplines at Befrienders Worldwide (befrienders.org). —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024

Kwik Trip is also renovating an office building in Onalaska, which will house training, accounting and operations support, including a 24/7 helpline for the stores. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024

Residents who would like more immediate help can call the city’s disease helpline at 513-357-7462 during business hours, or 877-774-4636 after 5 p.m. The form is primarily for people who are most at risk to get measles, such as infants or people who are unvaccinated, Allen said. —Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 18 Mar. 2024

Around 68 people called or chatted with Lucy Faithfull’s confidential helpline, the report says. —Matt Burgess, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024

In Wayne County, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network has a 24-hour helpline at 800-241-4949. —Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 25 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above