help matters
idiom
: to make a situation better
—usually used in negative statements
It didn't exactly help matters when he accused her of lying!
Examples of help matters in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That would probably help matters, but only to a point.
—
Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2025
Her heavy consumption of alcohol didn’t help matters.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
Of course, Lisa’s unhinged social-media behavior and habit of (allegedly) leaking upcoming story lines to Bravo fan accounts didn’t help matters, nor did the arrival of lip-licker extraordinaire Diana Jenkins, one of the all-time worst Housewives.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2025
The film’s self-consciously campy tone don’t help matters much.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for help matters 
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.
Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2025
Her heavy consumption of alcohol didn’t help matters.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
Of course, Lisa’s unhinged social-media behavior and habit of (allegedly) leaking upcoming story lines to Bravo fan accounts didn’t help matters, nor did the arrival of lip-licker extraordinaire Diana Jenkins, one of the all-time worst Housewives.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2025
The film’s self-consciously campy tone don’t help matters much.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for help matters
Dictionary Entries Near help matters
Cite this Entry
“Help matters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/help%20matters. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share