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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
Afterward, Orton helped Hendry off the mat and presented him to the crowd to celebrate this moment... before promptly hitting him with another RKO. Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025 In the face of the Cavs’ potent three-guard attack of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Ty Jerome, Herro needed more reps on the ball to help Miami’s offense keep up. Jared Weiss, New York Times, 21 Apr. 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
  • Aleksander Barkov assists on both Reinhart goals to increase his total to 51 on the season.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Images circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed dozens of people leaving the premises, with some assisting patients on hospital beds.
    Nidal al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But, in an effort to alleviate some of the insult to injury this task requires, reach for your pile of leftover cardboard instead.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2025
  • If your solution doesn’t alleviate their pain, you'll get ignored.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Some states, such as California, New Jersey and Illinois, have sanctuary laws that prevent local jurisdictions from signing 287(g) agreements.
    Julia Ingram, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Perhaps more important, though, is doing your best to prevent those flares in the first place.
    Sierra Leone Starks, Allure, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Meta has argued in court papers that its purchases of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 have benefited users, and that Zuckerberg's past statements are no longer relevant amid fierce competition from ByteDance's TikTok, Google's YouTube and Apple's messaging app.
    Jody Godoy, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Prominent Democrats have increasingly called for an investigation into whether members of the Trump administration and Congress benefited from insider trading shortly before President Donald Trump announced a pause to his global tariffs plan.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • If each of us could do one small good deed daily, the world would be improved.
    Maria Zimina, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Sporting improved to 2-6-1 in MLS regular-season play, winning its second match of 2025.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Bentonville police were able to access Hensley's cellphone with the assistance of his family and friends, and a witness provided details regarding fentanyl purchases involving Hill, the affidavit states.
    Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Document the encounter and seek assistance as soon as possible.
    Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Even as Liverpool have spluttered and stuttered, Mikel Arteta’s side have doggedly refused to take advantage, declining to ignite the thing as a contest.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Atlanta took advantage, with Trae Young driving for a layup to tie the score at 106 with 1.3 seconds remaining and force overtime.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • School staff had restrained or secluded her daughter 29 times for a total of more than 23 hours in just the few months since the school year began.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Advertisement Advertisement Shinji recalls being particularly affected by The Bullet Train’s depiction of Japanese National Railway staff members.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Help.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/help. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

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