help
help
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "help" is /hɛlp/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable (though "help" is a single-syllable word):
/h/ - voiceless glottal fricative
/ɛ/ - open-mid front unrounded vowel
/l/ - alveolar lateral approximant
/p/ - voiceless bilabial plosive
Word Form Variations
Noun:
help (singular, uncountable)
helps (plural, less common, often implies different types of help or instances of helping)
helper (singular, person who helps)
helpers (plural, people who help)
Verb:
help (base form, present simple)
helps (third-person singular present simple)
helping (present participle, gerund)
helped (past tense, past participle)
Adjective:
helpful (describing something or someone that provides help)
unhelpful (describing something or someone that does not provide help)
Adverb:
helpfully (in a helpful manner)
helplessly (in a helpless manner)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: The act of providing assistance or support to someone or something in need.
Synonyms: aid, assistance, support, succor, relief, hand, service
Antonyms: hindrance, obstruction, impediment, resistance, harm
Definition 2: A person or group of people employed to assist with tasks, especially in a domestic or professional setting.
Synonyms: assistant, aide, helper, subordinate, staff, employee
Antonyms: employer, boss, master, leader
Verb
Definition 1: To provide assistance or support to someone or something; to make it easier for someone to do something or for something to happen.
Example: "Can you help me move this heavy box?"
Synonyms: assist, aid, support, facilitate, enable, abet, serve, benefit
Antonyms: hinder, obstruct, impede, prevent, deter, harm, damage
Definition 2: To contribute to the improvement or alleviation of a situation or condition.
Example: "Eating healthy foods helps to prevent illness."
Synonyms: alleviate, mitigate, relieve, cure, remedy, improve, benefit
Antonyms: worsen, aggravate, exacerbate, harm, damage, impair
Definition 3: To serve food or drink to oneself or others.
Example: "Please help yourself to more salad."
Synonyms: serve, dish out, provide, offer
Antonyms: refrain, abstain
Examples of Use
Books:
"He turned to Hermione, 'You – you helped me!' Harry said. 'I don't know why, but thank you.'" (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, June 1997)
"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness, and it is better to seek help than suffer in silence." (Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter, October 2008)
Newspapers:
"Local charities are asking for public help to provide warm meals and shelter for the homeless during the cold winter months." (The Guardian, November 2023)
"New government initiatives aim to help small businesses recover from the economic downturn." (The Wall Street Journal, January 2024)
Online Publications:
"Experts advise that regular exercise can help improve mental health and reduce stress levels." (Mayo Clinic, "Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress", July 2024)
"A step-by-step guide to help you choose the right college major." (Forbes, October 2023)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." (Princess Leia Organa, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, May 1977)
Music: "I need somebody, help! Not just anybody, help! You know I need someone, help!" (The Beatles, "Help!", July 1965)
Television: "We need to get some help to that stranded hiker immediately." (9-1-1, Fox, Season 7, March 2024)
Video Games: "Press X to help the injured civilian." (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, October 2022)
General Public Discourse:
"Could you give me a hand? I need some help moving this furniture." (Spoken conversation, everyday use)
"The community rallied to offer help to those affected by the recent floods." (Local news report, March 2024)
"I appreciate all the help you've given me with this project." (Email communication, February 2024)
10 Quotes Using Help
"God helps those who help themselves." (Aesop, Aesop's Fables)
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." (Maya Angelou and Princess Leia Organa, Star Wars: A New Hope)
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy. Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." (Eleanor Roosevelt and Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word or song, if I can show somebody where they're going wrong, then my living shall not be in vain." (Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahalia Jackson)
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." (John A. Shedd and Ronald Reagan)
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle. You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. And stay hungry, stay foolish. And help each other out." (Steve Jobs and an unattributed commencement speech encouragement)
"I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow. If you want to make enemies, try to change something. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich." (Woodrow Wilson and Abraham Lincoln)
"When you help others, you help yourself." (Unknown)
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. If you want to change the world, go home and love your family. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. If you help others, you will be helped too." (Mahatma Gandhi and an unattributed saying)
"Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. Our task is to help others and to be of service." (John F. Kennedy and an unattributed sentiment)
Etymology
The word "help" has a long history, tracing its roots back to ancient Germanic languages.
It comes from the Old English word "helpan" (for the verb) and "help" or "helpe" (for the noun). Both of these meant "to aid, assist, support, benefit, or relieve." So, right from its earliest known use before 1150 AD, the core meaning of "help" has been about providing assistance to someone or something.
Before Old English, it can be traced even further back to a common ancestor of Germanic languages called Proto-Germanic, where the word was something like "helpaną." And even further still, linguists believe it comes from a very old, reconstructed language called Proto-Indo-European, with a root like "ḱelp-" which also carried the meaning of "to help."
So, essentially, the idea of giving assistance has been expressed by words very similar to "help" for thousands of years across various related languages.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Help
Help yourself: Serve yourself (food/drink); take what you need.
Can't help but...: Unable to prevent oneself from doing something.
So help me God: A solemn oath, often used when swearing to tell the truth or make a strong promise.
To help a hand: To give assistance.
Beyond help: In a situation that cannot be improved or cured.
Help wanted: A sign indicating that a business is hiring.
Help desk: A department or service that provides technical or customer support.
To help matters: To improve a situation.
To help out: To assist someone, often with a task.
To help someone on their way: To assist someone in leaving or progressing.
To help make ends meet: To provide financial assistance to cover basic living expenses.
With the help of: By means of assistance from.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of help from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
