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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

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help

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noun

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
Packing cubes are a clever travel hack that can help maximize the space in your suitcase. Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 New faces in the front row — from Ayo Edebiri at Chanel to Mikey Madison at Dior — helped signal a shift toward a new generation. Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
Weeks later, his daughter reached out again, asking his mother to RSVP and offering help with the QR code. Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025 Accepting help was uncomfortable at first, Gilman said. Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for help
Recent Examples of Synonyms for help
Verb
  • Under a pending agreement with ICE, the Guard's role enforcing immigration laws could expand to providing additional military personnel to be trained by ICE and deputized into assisting with policing immigration.
    Juan Cordoba, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Through mutual support agreements with partner agencies, the antenna can also assist NASA, Japan’s JAXA, India’s ISRO, and even commercial space missions, enhancing scientific output and operational efficiency across the board.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The study aims to explore the relationship between menopause and exercise, with the goal of understanding what type(s) and duration of exercise may alleviate the common symptoms of menopause.
    Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Moore adds that these small cleaning tasks might even alleviate the snowball of multiple tasks with a more significant chunk of time.
    Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Roy said that fast, accurate intervention can prevent deaths in traumatic emergencies.
    Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • One brings therapy dogs that can prevent elopement, which is when kids with autism wander away from caregivers, into classrooms.
    Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Rozeboom, the former Ram who tied his season high with nine tackles, benefited from a switch in responsibilities among the linebackers.
    Joseph Person, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Social media spaces are increasingly closed and personalized; where random Twitter figures could bring their ideas to the president in 2018, now only the most manic — Loomer, the MAGA legal figure Mike Davis — cut through, and benefit.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As Gabriel improves and the rapport builds, Bond could turn into a fantasy WR4 given his ability.
    Jake Ciely, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Now is the time to improve your home’s ability to withstand hurricanes.
    Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Noting the billions of dollars that Arkansas spends each year on federal programs to help the poor, including Medicaid, food stamps, child welfare and unemployment assistance, Sanders suggested the problems are often too big for a single program to fix.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The program, which offers $1,500 mid-pregnancy cash assistance and then $500 a month up to a year of the baby's life, already operates in 11 communities around Michigan.
    Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Securing the Shield ensures the top seed for Philly and home-field advantage throughout the MLS Cup playoffs for a team that has quietly gone about a consistent season without grabbing much in the way of attention.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
  • For today’s leaders, this means approaching every critical business decision with a mindset that considers how AI can deliver a competitive advantage.
    Derya Matras, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Vincent Kompany and his staff have chiselled a perfect role for him, with Diaz contributing not only on an individual basis, but in a way that really accentuates Bayern’s other attacking virtues.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The Social Security Administration will continue to issue retirement and disability benefits, but will furlough 12% of its staff and pause marketing campaigns, according to the agency’s shutdown plan.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Help.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/help. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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