help

Related dictionary definitions

help noun
help interjection
self-help noun
help out phrasal verb
help desk noun
home help noun
help along phrasal verb
help screen noun
heaven help us
cannot (help) but
God help someone
do little to help/solve etc
heaven help us/them/the person who etc
Get It Right!
Metaphor
1. 1
[intransitive/transitive] to give someone support or information so that they can
do something more easily
If you are finding that difficult, I could help you.
Mary was anxious to help.
help someone (to) do something:
Can you help me find my glasses?
help someone with something:
Her brother offered to help her with her homework.
help someone through something:
They helped me through a very difficult time.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
2. 2
[transitive] to support someone when they move from one position to another or
when they do some other action
I'll help you to the door.
Can I help you off with your coat (=help you to take it off)?
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
3. 3
[transitive] to give someone something, especially food or drink
help someone to something:
Can I help you to more vegetables?
help yourself to something (=take some of it):
Help yourselves to more wine.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
4. 4
[intransitive/transitive] to make a situation better
More police officers on the streets would help.
Organic farming methods help the environment.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
1. a.
to make it easier to achieve something
help (to) do something:
The new measure will help boost trade.
We hope this helps to clarify the situation.
help towards:
Further study will help towards a better understanding of the problem.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
phrases
cannot/can't help something
1. 1
used for saying that someone cannot stop themselves doing something
She couldn't help laughing when she saw it.
I shouldn't have said it but I couldn't help myself.
can't help thinking (=have good reason for thinking):
I couldn't help thinking he was asking for trouble.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
2. 2
someone cannot/can't help it if
used for saying that someone cannot be blamed for a situation
She could not help it if her emotions took charge of her.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
3. 3
it cannot/can't be helped
there is no way of preventing something from happening
It can't be helped, we'll just have to manage without her.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
4. 4
not if someone can help it
used for saying that someone is trying to avoid something that they do
not like doing
They never go there if they can help it.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
help yourself
spoken
used for giving someone permission to do or use something
'Do you mind if I use the phone?' 'Help yourself.'
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
help yourself to something
informal
to steal something
He'd been helping himself to money from my purse for months.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of help
phrasal verbs
help along
help out
Get It Right!: help
Get it right: help
The verb help is not used with the -ing form of another verb. It is used with the
infinitive (with or without 'to') in any of these patterns:
help do something
help to do something
help someone do something
help someone to do something
Foreign tourists can help revitalizing our economy.
Foreign tourists can help revitalize our economy.
Foreign tourists can help to revitalize our economy.
Banning smoking in restaurants may help people avoiding the risk of illness.
Banning smoking in restaurants may help people avoid the risk of illness.
Banning smoking in restaurants may help people to avoid the risk of illness.
The -ing form is only used with help in the fixed expression can't help doing something:
I can't help thinking that they should have informed the police.
Metaphor: help
Metaphor
Helping people is like supporting them physically, for example with your body or with
something that you build.
You can rely on their support.
You can always lean on me.
I need someone to hold my hand I can't do it on my own.
I need a shoulder to cry on.
Let me lend a hand.
They gave me a helping hand/a leg-up.
She put her life in their hands.
The government stepped in to prop/shore up the fishing industry.
They made some constructive comments/suggestions.
She's a pillar of the community.