helping

1 of 2

noun

help·​ing ˈhel-piŋ How to pronounce helping (audio)
Synonyms of helpingnext
1
: a portion of food : serving
2
: dose sense 3
… large helpings of reportage and interviews.—Stefan Kanfer

helping

2 of 2

present participle of help entry 1

Examples of helping in a Sentence

Noun He had two helpings of carrots. Can I give you a second helping?
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Until this glorious fall Saturday afternoon gave way to the hints of early evening, Indiana football — once the losingest team in all of college football — hadn’t tasted their ordinary helping of defeat for 666 days. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 Put forces and factors in the context of either headwinds (challenges or differences) or tailwinds (helping). — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 For the past four years, Da’Juan and Nikole Hill have watched kids pedal their bicycles down the sidewalk and pull open their front door, looking for a helping of sugar. — Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026 French toast made with a heaping helping of Fruity Pebbles cereal and topped with vanilla ice cream was a favorite brunch favorite for both kids and grownups when Cork & Pig ruled the corner of Crockett and Currie streets. — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for helping

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of helping was in 1866

Phrases Containing helping

Rhymes for helping

See All Rhymes for helping

Browse Nearby Words

helpfulness
helping
helping card
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Cite this Entry

“Helping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/helping. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

helping

noun
help·​ing ˈhel-piŋ How to pronounce helping (audio)
: a portion of food : serving

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