helping hand

noun

Definition of helping handnext
as in assistance
an act or instance of helping a skilled mechanic who generously provides a helping hand when his neighbors are plagued by car troubles

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 hand But bear in mind pumpkin does get a little bit of a helping hand, as pumpkin pie spice provides the familiar flavor, not the pumpkin itself. — Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 16 Nov. 2024 And, and so like that helping hand in the beginning was incredible. — Outside Online, 11 Dec. 2024 Fewer guests, plus lots of helping hands, means there are a lot of volunteers just sort of standing around. — Andrew Stelzer, NPR, 6 Dec. 2024 His knack for escaping helping hands and his catch-me-if-you-can elusiveness has led the doggo to go viral. — Kati Weis, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for helping hand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helping hand
  1. assistance
  2. help
  3. assist
  4. support
  5. boost
  6. lift
Noun
  • At least 10 local agencies were set to get a portion of the funding, which would ultimately provide housing assistance to more than 1,500 people in the Richmond region, per Homeward's news release.
    — Karri Peifer, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Those traveling to front line regions or Ukraine's border with Belarus may be exposed to Russian and Belarusian military and security presence, active ground combat, frequent shelling, missile and drone attacks, and limitations on the Embassy's ability to provide assistance.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of assistance
Noun
  • But in the meantime, those who know her are left to ponder an illness that appears to have consumed the caring mother, in spite of her efforts to get help.
    — Laura Crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Police departments in Carroll County could get help from the state with funding the high cost of outfitting officers with body cameras, if a bill introduced in the Maryland General Assembly is passed.
    — Sherry Greenfield, Baltimore Sun, 12 Feb. 2023
Definition of help
Noun
  • Foundation Academy 9, Orlando University 0 Buzz: G. Rodriguez had 4 goals and an assist for Foundation (7-4).
    — Johnny Gorches, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Lith has won several postseason honors already earning Big 12 Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and made first-team All-Big 12 while averaging 17.9 points, 5.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of assist
Noun
  • The director of Voice of America said that more than 1,300 journalists, producers and support staff have been placed on administrative leave following Donald Trump‘s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The bill passed Friday evening in a 54-46 vote, with the support of Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Democrats.
    — Sophia Vento, The Hill, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of support
Noun
  • As the 11th ranked team in the nation, Maryland has their eyes set on a bigger prize, but winning the Big Ten would be a significant confidence boost for the Terrapins.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
  • That will be a noticeable boost primarily for a handful of particularly demanding 3D games (the likes of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil Village, Infinity Nikki, and Genshin Impact) and some heavy-duty applications only a few people use, like CAD or video editing programs.
    — Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of boost
Noun
  • Fatal lift accidents at ski areas are relatively rare, according to the National Ski Areas Association.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2025
  • There are very few tiny parts, the lift system is easy to understand and put together, and the frame assembly is intuitive.
    — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of lift

Browse Nearby Words

helping hand
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Helping hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helping%20hand. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All