aid
aid — noun
1. help or support that makes a job, problem, or difficult time easier to deal with
help or support that makes a job, problem, or difficult time easier to deal with.
Nina finished the report with aid from two careful coworkers.
aid from + people
Without aid, the injured climber could not reach the road.
without aid
The old man crossed the street with the aid of a cane.
with the aid of + noun
Extra aid from volunteers kept the food bank open through winter.
Thank you for your aid during the move last weekend.
- with the aid of
- without aid
- give aid
- ask for aid
- help
the everyday word; less formal than 'aid'
- assistance
formal and common in official or service language
- support
broader; can include money or emotional backing over time
- hindrance
something that makes progress harder instead of easier
- obstruction
formal; something that blocks action or movement
Grammar Patterns
with the aid of + noun
without aid
give aid
Usage Note
Usually uncountable. Common in slightly formal patterns such as 'with the aid of' and 'without aid'. Distinguish from sense 3, where aid is a device, and from sense 2, where it is large-scale relief for a place in crisis.
Common Mistakes
2. money, food, medicine, or other supplies sent to a country or area in serious ne
money, food, medicine, or other supplies sent to a country or area in serious need, often from abroad.
Emergency aid reached the island two days after the cyclone.
emergency aid
The charity sent medical aid to villages near the border.
medical aid to + place
Foreign aid helped rebuild schools after the long civil war.
foreign aid
Aid trucks carried rice, blankets, and soap into the mountain region.
Local hospitals survived that winter because aid arrived before the snow.
- foreign aid
- emergency aid
- medical aid
- humanitarian aid
- relief
common in disaster contexts, especially help sent after war or natural damage
- assistance
formal and broader; can include money, advice, or services
- support
broader and less tied to emergency shipments
Grammar Patterns
send aid to + place
receive aid from + country or charity
Usage Note
Usually uncountable and common with words like 'foreign', 'medical', 'emergency', and 'humanitarian'. The giver is often a government, charity, or richer country rather than one individual.
Common Mistakes
3. a tool, machine, or other object that makes a task easier or possible for someon
a tool, machine, or other object that makes a task easier or possible for someone.
Mr. Lee's hearing aid beeped when the battery started to run low.
compound noun: hearing aid
The map was a useful teaching aid in our geography lesson.
compound noun: teaching aid
A walking aid stood beside Grandma Chen's bed after her hip surgery.
compound noun: walking aid
This chart is a simple aid for children learning to bake.
- hearing aid
- teaching aid
- visual aid
- walking aid
Grammar Patterns
a hearing aid
a teaching aid
a walking aid
Usage Note
Common in compounds that name a specific tool, especially in health and education: hearing aid, walking aid, teaching aid. Distinguish from sense 1, where aid means help rather than a physical object.
Common Mistakes
4. quick help given to a person in danger, especially in fixed phrases about going
quick help given to a person in danger, especially in fixed phrases about going to help them.
Two surfers rushed to the boy's aid when the waves grew rough.
rush to someone's aid
A police officer came to Maria's aid after the fall.
come to someone's aid
Calls for help brought nearby farmers to the swimmer's aid.
Nobody went to the driver's aid until the bus stopped.
go to someone's aid
- come to someone's aid
- go to someone's aid
- rush to someone's aid
- rescue
stronger; often includes taking someone out of danger directly
- help
broader and less tied to this fixed expression
- assistance
formal, but not usually used in this idiomatic pattern
Grammar Patterns
come to someone's aid
go to someone's aid
rush to someone's aid
Usage Note
Nearly always appears after verbs such as 'come', 'go', 'rush', or 'run'. Distinguish from sense 1, which is general support, by the idea of quick action in danger.
Common Mistakes
5. used after 'in' to show that an event or action is meant to raise support or mon
used after 'in' to show that an event or action is meant to raise support or money for someone or something.
Students held a concert in aid of the town library.
in aid of + cause
The walk was organized in aid of families after the fire.
Local shops donated prizes in aid of the hospital fund.
Lily baked fifty cakes in aid of the animal shelter.
- in aid of a charity
- in aid of victims
- in aid of the hospital
- for
simpler and more general, but less formal and less specific about support
- in support of
close in meaning; often used for campaigns or public causes
Grammar Patterns
in aid of + noun
Usage Note
A fixed formal phrase, common in charity notices and event descriptions. The purpose usually involves fundraising or public support for a group, cause, or institution.
Common Mistakes
This phrase means doing something to help a person or a cause.
Maya organized a bake sale in aid of the local animal shelter.
They ran a marathon in aid of cancer research last year.
what’s… in aid of?
idiomThis phrase is used to ask the reason for something that is happening.
What's all this noise in aid of, Brian?
What's the big party in aid of tonight?
aid — verb
1. to give a person, process, or plan the support needed to work better, improve, o
to give a person, process, or plan the support needed to work better, improve, or succeed.
New software aided the nurses in tracking each patient's medicine.
aid + person + in + -ing
Fresh air and rest aided in her recovery after the flu.
aid in + noun
These notes will aid students in preparing for the final exam.
Good rain aided the farmers during the dry spring.
A short video may aid in explaining the safety rules.
aid in + -ing
- aid recovery
- aid students in learning
- aid the search
- aid in explaining
- help
the everyday choice; less formal and far more common in speech
- assist
formal like 'aid', but more often used for people helping people
- support
broader; can include money, encouragement, or public backing
- facilitate
formal; stresses making a process easier rather than directly helping a person
Grammar Patterns
aid + noun
aid + noun + in + -ing
aid in + -ing
Usage Note
More formal than 'help'. Common with subjects such as money, medicine, weather, tools, or organizations. Distinguish from verb sense 2: this sense has a neutral or positive goal, not an illegal or wrong one.
Common Mistakes
2. to help another person carry out an action that is dishonest, illegal, or morall
to help another person carry out an action that is dishonest, illegal, or morally wrong.
The guard was jailed for aiding the robbers after closing time.
aid + criminals
False papers aided the gang in crossing the border unnoticed.
aid + person + in + -ing
Anyone who aids a cheat in an exam may be punished.
The driver denied aiding the smugglers with late-night deliveries.
- aid robbers
- aid an escape
- aid fraud
- aid smugglers
Grammar Patterns
aid + person + in + -ing
aid + criminals
aid + escape or fraud
Usage Note
Common in legal and news language. The person or action after 'aid' must involve wrongdoing, such as robbery, cheating, fraud, or smuggling.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
'Help' is the normal everyday word for making something easier. 'Aid' has the same core idea, but it sounds more formal and often appears in set phrases such as 'with the aid of' or in public contexts like 'medical aid' and 'emergency aid'. 'Assistance' is also formal, and it is common in service, business, and official language. 'Support' is broader: it can mean practical help, but it can also mean money, approval, or emotional backing over a longer time. So you ask a friend for help, a patient may need medical aid, a company may offer technical assistance, and parents often give emotional support.
Common collocations
Nouns
- hearing aid
- foreign aid
- medical aid
- teaching aid
Adverbs
- greatly aid
- materially aid
Phrases
- with the aid of
- come to someone's aid
- go to someone's aid
- in aid of
Prepositions
- aid in
- aid to
- aid of
- aid from
Etymology
'Aid' came into English through Old French forms related to 'aide' and 'aidier', both meaning help or help someone. Those French words go back to Latin 'adiutare', from 'adiuvare', meaning 'to help'. The noun and verb in English have kept that central idea of giving support, while later fixed phrases such as 'with the aid of' and 'come to someone's aid' grew from the same core meaning.