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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
  • At first, caring for her mom meant reminding her to turn off the stove after cooking and assisting with the laundry.
    Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 22 May 2025
  • Officials allege Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker, assisted the inmates in the escape, shutting off water to a toilet and sink inside a cell that were later ripped out by the inmates who then escaped through the hole in the wall, according to USA Today, BBC, and CBS News.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 21 May 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
  • Among them are those the provide access to transportation, prevent social isolation, deliver meals and offer assistance with Medicare and Medicaid.
    Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
  • Sanders signed legislation last month that prevents drug middlemen from owning pharmacies in Arkansas.
    Lucas Dufalla, Arkansas Online, 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
  • 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
  • However, the latest reports suggest that situation is improving, albeit with lowball offers.
    Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Noun
  • In addition, urgent cases are being referred for emergency cash assistance.
    Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • Kennealy was the head of the former Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, the agency that oversaw emergency shelter assistance shelters set up under the state’s right-to-shelter law.
    Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 22 May 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
  • Roberto Bergersen joined the Boise State staff in April 2022.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 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 4 Jun. 2025.

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