Aid — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun abbreviation /ˈād/

Meaning & Definition of Aid

Aid (verb)

  1. to provide with what is useful or necessary in achieving an end
  2. to give assistance

Aid (noun)

  1. the act of helping someone
  2. help given, assistance; specifically, tangible means of assistance (such as money or supplies)
  3. aide

Aid (abbreviation)

  1. Agency for International Development
  2. artificial insemination by donor

Aid (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person who helps a more skilled person

    "Jack is his mother's preferred aid in the kitchen, as his sister Janice is clumsy when it comes to chopping and peeling"

    similar: adjunct, adjutant, aide, apprentice, assistant, coadjutor, deputy, helper, helpmate, helpmeet, lieutenant, mate, sidekick
    related: attendant, handmaiden, maid, maidservant, scullion, servant, auxiliary, legman, subordinate, underling, employee, hand, help, hireling, laborer, swamper, worker, gal Friday, girl Friday, man Friday, right hand, aide-de-camp

  2. a thing that helps

    "a dictionary is a handy aid for working crossword puzzles"

    similar: advantage, asset, benefit, boon, help
    related: hand, lift, pick-me-up, support, sustenance, blessing, godsend, windfall, recourse, refuge, resort, resource
    opposite: disadvantage, drawback, encumbrance, hindrance, impediment, minus
    near: constraint, inhibitor, liability, obstacle, obstruction, restraint, stranglehold

  3. an act or instance of helping

    "the clerk asked if she needed any aid carrying out her purchases"

    similar: abetment, assist, assistance, backing, boost, hand, help, helping hand, leg up, lift, support
    related: advancement, encouragement, facilitation, forwarding, furtherance, furthering, nurturance, benefaction, patronage, promotion, sponsorship, advice, care, counsel, guidance, mentoring, attendance, attention, hand-holding, service, beneficence, charity, favor, kindness, philanthropy, assuagement, palliation, relief, succor
    opposite: hindrance
    near: constraint, frustration, inhibition, interference, obstruction, repression, restraint, deterrence, discouragement

Aid (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end

    "sought to aid her in her search for a dachshund puppy by looking online"

    similar: abet, assist, back, backstop, help, prop (up), support, bear a hand, to stand one in good stead
    related: advance, ease, facilitate, forward, foster, further, launch, champion, endorse, patronize, promote, sponsor, attend, care (for), comfort, minister (to), succor, sustain, bolster, boost, buttress, reinforce, advise, counsel, guide, mentor, nurture, bail out, deliver, rescue, save, embolden, encourage, hearten, benefit, favor, oblige, profit, serve
    opposite: hinder
    near: balk, bar, block, constrain, hamper, handicap, hold back, impede, inhibit, obstruct, restrain, strangle, baffle, foil, frustrate, inconvenience, interfere, oppose, sabotage, thwart, desert, disappoint, fail, let down, discourage, dishearten, repress, retard, stifle, straiten, stunt, damage, harm, hurt, injure

Related Entry: Foreign aid (noun)

Foreign aid is a different word from Aid. The synonyms below are for foreign aid, not for aid.

  1. as in relief, state aid

    similar: relief, state aid, aid, assistance, block grant, grant-in-aid, set-aside, advance, allowance, benefit, bequest, endowment, fund, legacy, stipend, trust, trust fund, allocation, allotment, annuity, appropriation, entitlement, grant, subsidy, subvention

Related Entry: Grant-in-aid (noun)

Grant-in-aid is a different word from Aid. The synonyms below are for grant-in-aid, not for aid.

  1. as in aid, assistance

    similar: aid, assistance, block grant, set-aside, allocation, allotment, annuity, appropriation, entitlement, grant, subsidy, subvention, foreign aid, relief, state aid, advance, allowance, benefit, bequest, endowment, fund, legacy, stipend, trust, trust fund

Related Entry: Grants-in-aid (noun)

Grants-in-aid is a different word from Aid. The synonyms below are for grants-in-aid, not for aid.

  1. as in aids, assistances

    similar: aids, assistances, block grants, set-asides, allocations, allotments, annuities, appropriations, entitlements, grants, subsidies, subventions, foreign aids, reliefs, state aids, advances, allowances, benefits, bequests, endowments, funds, legacies, stipends, trust funds, trusts

Related Entry: State aid (noun)

State aid is a different word from Aid. The synonyms below are for state aid, not for aid.

  1. as in relief, foreign aid

    similar: foreign aid, relief, aid, assistance, block grant, grant-in-aid, set-aside, advance, allowance, benefit, bequest, endowment, fund, legacy, stipend, trust, trust fund, allocation, allotment, annuity, appropriation, entitlement, grant, subsidy, subvention

Related Entry: Drink (verb)

Drink is a different word from Aid. The synonyms below are for drink, not for aid.

  1. to swallow in liquid form

    "the doctor wants her to drink lots of water before the examination"

    similar: belt (down), gulp, guzzle, hoist, imbibe, knock back, pound (down), quaff, sip, slug (down), slurp, sup, swig, swill, toss (down or off)
    related: lap, lick, suck, consume, down, ingurgitate, kill, mouth (down), put away, nip, tipple, pledge, toast, wine

  2. to partake excessively of alcoholic beverages

    "we're worried that she's started drinking again"

    similar: bib, booze, guzzle, liquor (up), lush (up) (slang), soak, tipple, booze it up, hit the bottle
    related: carouse, revel, imbibe, nip
    near: abstain

  3. to take in (something liquid) through small openings

    "the hot surface of the porous rock drank water like a sponge"

    similar: absorb, imbibe, soak (up), sponge, suck (up), take up
    related: gulp, guzzle, quaff, sip, slurp, swallow, swig, swill

Related Entry: Drink (in) (verb)

Drink (in) is a different word from Aid. The synonyms below are for drink (in), not for aid.

  1. to receive or accept gladly or readily

    "the studio audience for the infomercial seemed to drink in—a little too readily—every word of the host's spiel"

    similar: eat (up), embrace, lap (up), welcome
    related: adopt, espouse, take up, greet, hail, enjoy, like, prefer, cherry-pick, choose, cull, decide (on), elect, handpick, name, opt (for), pick, select, single (out), take
    near: balk (at), decline, pass up, refuse, reject, spurn, throw over, turn down, demur (to), object (to)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Aid

The most common words with a similar meaning to Aid:

adjunct, adjutant, aide, apprentice, assistant, coadjutor, deputy, helper, helpmate, helpmeet, lieutenant, mate, sidekick, advantage, asset, benefit, boon, help, abetment, assist, assistance, backing, boost, hand, helping hand, leg up, lift, support, abet, back, backstop, prop (up), bear a hand, to stand one in good stead

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Aid

Words with the opposite meaning of Aid:

disadvantage, drawback, encumbrance, hindrance, impediment, minus, hinder

Related Words for Aid

attendant, handmaiden, maid, maidservant, scullion, servant, auxiliary, legman, subordinate, underling, employee, hireling, laborer, swamper, worker, gal Friday, girl Friday, man Friday, right hand, aide-de-camp, pick-me-up, sustenance, blessing, godsend, windfall, recourse, refuge, resort, resource, advancement

Near Antonyms of Aid

constraint, inhibitor, liability, obstacle, obstruction, restraint, stranglehold, frustration, inhibition, interference, repression, deterrence, discouragement, balk, bar, block, constrain, hamper, handicap, hold back, impede, inhibit, obstruct, restrain, strangle, baffle, foil, frustrate, inconvenience, interfere

Word Forms of Aid

Inflections: aided, aiding, aids

Derived words: aider (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Aid

Middle English eyden, from Anglo-French aider, from Latin adjutare, frequentative of adjuvare, from ad- + juvare to help

First known use: 15th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Aid

Words & Phrases Containing Aid

Band-Aid, deaf-aid, drink the Kool-Aid, first aid, foreign aid, grant-in-aid

Frequently Asked Questions about Aid

What does "Aid" mean?

"Aid" means to provide with what is useful or necessary in achieving an end. As an a verb, a noun and an abbreviation, it is defined as: to provide with what is useful or necessary in achieving an end. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Aid"?

Other words for "Aid" include adjunct, adjutant, aide, apprentice, assistant, coadjutor, deputy and helper. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Aid" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Aid"?

There are 126 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Aid". Common alternatives include adjunct, adjutant, aide, apprentice, assistant, coadjutor, deputy, helper, helpmate and helpmeet.

What is the opposite of "Aid"?

Antonyms of "Aid" include disadvantage, drawback, encumbrance, hindrance, impediment, minus and hinder. Near antonyms include constraint, inhibitor, liability and obstacle.

How do you use "Aid" in a sentence?

Examples of "Aid" in a sentence: "Jack is his mother's preferred aid in the kitchen, as his sister Janice is clumsy when it comes to chopping and peeling"; "a dictionary is a handy aid for working crossword puzzles"; "the clerk asked if she needed any aid carrying out her purchases".

Is "Aid" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Aid" can be used as a verb, a noun and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

Is "Aid" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Aid" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Aid"?

"Aid" is pronounced /ˈād/.