helping 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of helpingnext
1
as in aiding

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in assisting

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Dissimilar Words

helping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of help
1
as in supporting
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end offered to help her widowed father when he moved into an apartment

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2
as in alleviating
to make more bearable or less severe the new ointment didn't help Josh's sunburn one bit

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3
as in preventing
to keep from happening by taking action in advance they couldn't help the way things turned out

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4
as in benefiting
to provide with something useful or desirable being independently wealthy certainly helped him during his years as a struggling young artist

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in improving
to make better some minor revisions would help this essay immensely

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 helping
Adjective
And right now, the Eric Dane story isn’t much helping. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
Ocean iron fertilization grew from the idea that iron-rich dust blown across the oceans during past ice ages fed blooms of phytoplankton, helping to lower atmospheric CO₂. — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Ohio isn’t just helping children leave struggling public schools. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 The two approaches address different challenges in developing fault-tolerant quantum computers, with simulations helping researchers evaluate designs before testing them on physical hardware. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026 Adding the butter before the warm milk and cream coats the potato starches in fat, helping the mash stay smooth and creamy even after refrigeration. — Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026 Because, at this point, helping the Ukrainians achieve victory would cost relatively little, yet the West remains timid. — Dan Crenshaw, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026 Google is helping consumers take the guesswork out of planning their holiday shopping. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 Officials were helping more than 50 people in temporary shelters, del Pilar said. — Jaimie Ding, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026 Yakuza gangs also burnished their reputation by helping ordinary citizens with problems that the authorities couldn’t or didn’t wish to handle. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helping
  1. supportive
  2. assisting
  3. alleviating
  4. preventing
  5. benefiting
  6. improving
  7. assistant
  8. aiding
Adjective
  • The Snow’s pressure-relieving foam combined with supportive springs results in a bed that’s comfortable, but not plush to a fault.
    — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The nuns modeled how to create a sustaining, supportive community.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of supportive
Verb
  • Artem Zub made his season debut Thursday, assisting on Greig's goal.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • This configuration allows the bristles to make contact with the scalp, assisting in thorough detangling and ensuring no section is missed, even with voluminous locks.
    — Laura Sandroni, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of assisting
Verb
  • These turnovers also set up touchdowns, alleviating the pent-up stress of the first half.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Fostering gives cats a temporary home on the way to adoption, alleviating stress on shelters and, in some instances, saving cats’ lives.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of alleviating
Verb
  • This year was no different, except the stakes were simply about preventing their respective seasons from getting any worse.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Abruptly moving on, like a magician preventing his audience from lingering on his last trick, Alex pulled out a tablet, holding it up to me.
    — Andrew Lipstein, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of preventing
Verb
  • Rather than a direct cash transfer, this is investing in more Americans benefiting from our country’s innovation prowess.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Taylor Swift took the stage last night at the sixth annual Academy Museum Gala, a Los Angeles fundraising event benefitting the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of benefiting
Verb
  • Boston Dynamics’ approach focuses on improving the connection between engineering and manufacturing, with faster component production and assembly intended to support more rapid development.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Seaport upgrades Ralliant to buy from neutral Seaport said the outlook is improving.
    — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of improving
Adjective
  • After spending years as an assistant football coach at Sylmar and San Fernando, Boo Williams arrived at Sun Valley Poly this season with a mission to turn around a program that always seemed to have talent but rarely put together many victories.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The data showed that principals often earn from $158,000 to $186,000 per year, while assistant principals were generally paid $150,000 to $179,000.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of assistant
Verb
  • Along with Williams, at least 14 other people, many of them friends and family of the escapees, were arrested and accused of aiding in the escape, including by providing food, cash, transport and shelter.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The historical research aiding the film is conducted in collaboration with Caróu Oliveira, a Black historian dedicated to the study of slavery and the daily lives of Black women in the 19th century.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of aiding

Phrases Containing helping

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helpfully
helping
helping hand
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Cite this Entry

“Helping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helping. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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