help

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To do something that makes things easier or better for someone.

   Can you help me carry these bags?

2. 2
   noun

   The act of helping someone; assistance.

   I need some help with my homework.

3. 3
   verb

   To make something more likely or possible.

   Regular exercise helps to prevent illness.

4. 4
   verb

   To take or serve food or drink for yourself.

   Please help yourself to some coffee.

5. 5
   noun

   Someone or something that is useful.

   He was a great help to me when I was moving house.

Common collocations

• help with Verb + preposition/particle
• help out Verb + preposition/particle
• help through Verb + preposition/particle

From Middle English helpen, from Old English helpan (“to help, aid, assist, benefit, relieve, cure”), from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, Proto-Germanic *helpaną (“to help”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb-, *ḱelp- (“to help”). Cognate with North Frisian halep, heelpe, help (“to help”), Saterland Frisian hälpe (“to help”), West Frisian helpe (“to help”), Cimbrian hölfan (“to help”), Dutch helpen (“to help”), German helfen (“to help”), Low German helpen, hölpen, hülpen (“to help”), Luxembourgish hëllefen (“to help”), Yiddish העלפֿן (helfn, “to help”), Danish hjælpe (“to help”), Faroese, Icelandic…

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images