aidnoun
uk/eɪd/us/eɪd/[ U ] help or support:
He gets about with the aid of a walking stick.
She went to the aid of a man trapped in his car.
A woman in the street saw that he was in trouble and came to his aid.
C1 [ C ] a piece of equipment that helps you to do something:
teaching aids, such as books and videos
A thesaurus is a useful aid to writing.
C1 [ U ] help in the form of food, money, medical supplies, or weapons that is given by a richer country to a poorer country:
The Vatican has agreed to donate $80,000 in humanitarian/emergency aid to countries affected by the war.
About a fifth of the country's income is in the form of foreign/overseas aid.
in aid of sb/sth C1 UK
in order to collect money for a group of people who need it:
a concert in aid of famine relief
More examples
- The tunnel was dug with the aid of heavy machinery.
- Foreign aid is badly needed to ameliorate the effects of the drought.
- humanitarian aid
- We need to look at the logistics of the whole aid operation.
- Thousands of lives will be at stake if emergency aid does not arrive in the city soon.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Helping and co-operating
- a good/bad turn idiom
- abet
- assist
- assistance
- avail
- bridge
- carry
- facilitate
- give sb a leg up idiom
- give/lend sb a helping hand idiom
- go a long way toward(s) doing sth idiom
- hang
- platform
- reach
- relief
- run errands idiom
- scene
- see sb through sth
- share a platform idiom
- start sb off
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Tools in general
Gifts in the form of money
Organizations - charities
Idiom(s)
what's sth in aid of?
aidverb [ T ]
uk/eɪd/us/eɪd/C1 to help:
Huge projects designed to aid poorer countries can sometimes do more harm than good.
His excuse for drinking brandy is that it's said to aid digestion.
aid and abet sb specialized or humorous
to help someone to do something illegal or wrong:
Three auditors were accused of aiding and abetting the men charged with fraud.
More examples
- Discover how eating raw food helps balance your body and aids digestion.
- Your donation will help aid flood victims.
- Doctors hoped that moving to a warmer climate would aid his recovery.
- Police arrested a number of people suspected of aiding the terrorists.
- Fruit and vegetables contain acids that aid the absorption of calcium into the body.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Helping and co-operating
- a good/bad turn idiom
- abet
- assist
- assistance
- avail
- bridge
- carry
- facilitate
- give sb a leg up idiom
- give/lend sb a helping hand idiom
- go a long way toward(s) doing sth idiom
- hang
- platform
- reach
- relief
- run errands idiom
- scene
- see sb through sth
- share a platform idiom
- start sb off
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Obeying & breaking the law