assist

assist — verb

1. to do part of a task alongside someone, or to give them what they need so the ta

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to do part of a task alongside someone, or to give them what they need so the task is easier or finishes faster.

Example

Two trainee nurses assisted Dr. Patel during the four-hour heart surgery.

assist + somebody (during a professional task)

Anaya assisted her grandmother with the grocery bags up the steep stairs.

assist + somebody + with + noun

Common collocations
  • assist a patient
  • assist a customer
  • assist the police
  • kindly assist
  • happy to assist
Synonyms
  • help

    everyday, all-purpose word; 'assist' is more formal and task-focused

  • aid

    also formal; often used for organisations giving resources, not hands-on work

  • support

    broader — includes emotional or financial backing, not just task help

Antonyms
  • hinder

    to make a task slower or harder for someone

  • obstruct

    stronger; to actively block someone's progress

Grammar Patterns

assist + somebody

assist + somebody + with + noun

assist + somebody + in + -ing

assist + with + noun

Usage Note

More formal than 'help'; common in workplaces, hospitals, and customer-service contexts. Object is usually a person, and the action is often a specific task rather than vague support.

Common Mistakes

I assisted to my brother.
I assisted my brother.
no preposition before the person who receives help.
She assisted me to carry the box.
She assisted me in carrying the box.' or 'She helped me carry the box.
'assist' takes 'in + -ing', not bare 'to + verb'.

2. to be at a police station answering officers' questions in connection with a pos

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to be at a police station answering officers' questions in connection with a possible offence — used by news reports as a polite way to say someone is being questioned without yet being charged.

Example

A 42-year-old man is currently assisting the police with their inquiries into the warehouse fire.

fixed phrase: assisting the police with their inquiries

The BBC reported that two suspects were assisting officers with inquiries on Sunday morning.

passive-style news register

Common collocations
  • assisting the police with their inquiries
  • assisting officers with inquiries
  • assisting detectives
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

assist + the police + with + their inquiries

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the fixed pattern 'assisting the police with their inquiries'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense does NOT mean the person is voluntarily helping detective work; it is a euphemism for being questioned as a possible suspect.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is a great citizen — he often assists the police with their inquiries.
My uncle often volunteers as a witness for the police.
the fixed phrase implies the person is suspected, not praised.

assist — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These four verbs all share the meaning of making another person's task easier, but they differ in tone and focus. 'Help' is the everyday neutral word that fits any situation, from carrying bags to solving math: 'Can you help me?' is something a child says. 'Assist' is more formal and is preferred in workplaces, hospitals, and customer service: 'A nurse will assist the surgeon.' It usually points at a specific task, not vague kindness. 'Aid' is also formal but tends to describe organisations or governments giving resources, especially in emergencies: 'The Red Cross aided flood victims.' 'Support' is broader and often emotional or financial — you can support a friend going through a divorce or support a charity, neither of which involves doing the task with them. Choose 'help' for daily speech, 'assist' for professional contexts, 'aid' for relief work, and 'support' for backing someone in a longer-term way.

help ↗assist ↗aid ↗support ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • assist a patient
  • assist a customer
  • assist the police
  • assist a colleague

Adverbs

  • actively assist
  • kindly assist
  • willingly assist
  • greatly assist

Phrases

  • happy to assist
  • available to assist
  • trained to assist
  • with an assist from

Prepositions

  • assist with
  • assist in
  • assist by
  • an assist from

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb came into English in the 1400s from Old French 'assister', meaning 'to stand by, attend, or help'. That French verb was borrowed from Latin 'assistere', built from 'ad-' (meaning 'to, towards') and 'sistere' (meaning 'to take a stand, to stand still'). So the original picture is of someone standing next to another person ready to lend a hand. The sports noun ('a pass that leads to a goal') is much newer — it grew out of nineteenth-century American baseball reporting and later spread to basketball and ice hockey.