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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
The unconventional flair of the barbershops gives them a unique charm, and in the last few years, social media has helped the community boost its profile and gain a wider audience beyond Vietnam. Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025 Also helping stocks Tuesday: a breather for the beleaguered bond market. David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
Noun
There are several ways to get help filing your taxes. Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Courier-Journal, 6 Feb. 2023 That’s when content teams should get some help from AI tools in handling the details. John Hall, Forbes, 5 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for help
Recent Examples of Synonyms for help
Verb
  • Alpine Rescue, Guardia di Finanza Rescue and Italy's Carabinieri (a military organization similar to the police) all assisted in the recovery efforts.
    Michael Nied, People.com, 2 June 2025
  • The Aurora Police Department, Aurora Township Fire Department and Kane County Drone Team assisted the Kane County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the incident, per the release.
    Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2025
Verb
  • Next steps: While the long-term plan is developed, short-term measures are being considered to alleviate traffic issues.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 May 2025
  • On a quiet pandemic afternoon in 2021, Zhiyuan Wang, then a graduate student at Rice University, was alleviating his boredom by working on a weird mathematical problem.
    Shalma Wegsman, Wired News, 25 May 2025
Verb
  • The looming presence of this political specter is seldom tethered to the ongoing rigamarole, except in the minor instance of Yahya being prevented, by the Israeli authority, from traveling to the West Bank to see his mother.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 May 2025
  • The guardianship legally prevents Haron from removing or having contact with Taube without permission.
    Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • Ernst defended the bill, arguing that those eliminated from these programs would be people who were not eligible to benefit from them in the first place.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 31 May 2025
  • Foliage plants kept indoors often benefit from a shady spot on the patio or in the landscape. 74.
    Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • However, the latest reports suggest that situation is improving, albeit with lowball offers.
    Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
  • Trump 100 days: Former president's success created measuring stick for future leaders From Trump to Reagan: Their first 100 days Trump promised to improve the economy on Day 1.
    Zac Anderson, USA Today, 26 May 2025
Noun
  • Time and again, both parties have reinforced systemic inequality through cuts to housing assistance, erosion of the social safety net, and a growing trend to treat housing as a commodity rather than a public good, the book argues.
    Ericka Taylor, NPR, 4 June 2025
  • Trained Individuals People who train to increase their breath-holding abilities, like free divers—people who swim or dive beneath the water’s surface to a considerable depth and without assistance from a breathing device–have reportedly been able to hold their breath for three minutes or longer.
    Patty Weasler, Verywell Health, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Pone hit a sacrifice fly to put Ole Miss up 5-4, Mackenzie Pickens hit and RBI single in the fifth for a two-run advantage and Brady sent a solo home run to left-center field in the seventh to set the final score.
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 26 May 2025
  • In this context, the real advantage lies not simply in exporting more whisky but in embedding British spirits—Scotch and otherwise—within a broader consumer and distribution ecosystem.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • That lineup will go up against a pitching staff that is not at full strength, as L.A. starters Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell – the latter two being of interest to the Yankees this past offseason – are on the injured list.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025
  • Burnes led the pitching staff to the fifth-best starter ERA in baseball in 2024.
    Tyler Small, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Help.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/help. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

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