AID

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does aid mean? 

• AID (noun)
  The noun AID has 4 senses:

1. a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do

2. the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

3. gift of money or other material help to support a person or cause

4. the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

  Familiarity information: AID used as a noun is uncommon.

• AID (verb)
  The verb AID has 2 senses:

1. give help or assistance; be of service

2. improve the condition of

  Familiarity information: AID used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AID (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

aid; assistance; help

Context example:

his job was to give technical assistance over the phone

Hypernyms ("aid" is a kind of...):

resource (a source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed)

Derivation:

aid (give help or assistance; be of service)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

aid; assist; assistance; help

Context example:

offered his help in unloading

Hypernyms ("aid" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "aid"):

lift (the act of giving temporary assistance)

support (aiding the cause or policy or interests of)

comfort (assistance, such as that provided to an enemy or to a known criminal)

boost; encouragement (the act of giving hope or support to someone)

accommodation (the act of providing something (lodging or seat or food) to meet a need)

service (an act of help or assistance)

thanks (with the help of or owing to)

recourse; refuge; resort (act of turning to for assistance)

hand; helping hand (physical assistance)

facilitation (act of assisting or making easier the progress or improvement of something)

self-help (the act of helping or improving yourself without relying on anyone else)

ministration; relief; succor; succour (assistance in time of difficulty)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Gift of money or other material help to support a person or cause

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

aid; assistance; economic aid; economic assistance; financial aid; financial assistance

Context example:

economic assistance to depressed areas

Hypernyms ("aid" is a kind of...):

gift (something acquired without compensation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "aid"):

traineeship (financial aid that enables you to get trained for a specified job)

grant-in-aid (a grant to a person or school for some educational project)

grant (any monetary aid)

foreign aid (aid (such as economic or military assistance) provided to one nation by another)

fellowship (money granted (by a university or foundation or other agency) for advanced study or research)

scholarship (financial aid provided to a student on the basis of academic merit)

philanthropic gift; philanthropy (voluntary promotion of human welfare)

public assistance; social welfare; welfare (governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

aid; attention; care; tending

Context example:

the old car needs constant attention

Hypernyms ("aid" is a kind of...):

work (activity directed toward making or doing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "aid"):

tender loving care; TLC (considerate and solicitous care)

hair care; haircare; hairdressing (care for the hair: the activity of washing or cutting or curling or arranging the hair)

health care; healthcare (the preservation of mental and physical health by preventing or treating illness through services offered by the health profession)

tree surgery (treatment of damaged or decaying trees)

faith cure; faith healing (care provided through prayer and faith in God)

skin care; skincare (care for the skin)

personal care (care for someone who is disabled or is otherwise unable to care for themselves; can including bathing and cooking and managing bodily functions)

nurturance (physical and emotional care and nourishment)

nursing (the work of caring for the sick or injured or infirm)

nourishment (the act of nourishing)

pedicure (professional care for the feet and toenails)

manicure (professional care for the hands and fingernails)

livery (the care (feeding and stabling) of horses for pay)

incubation (maintaining something at the most favorable temperature for its development)

intervention; treatment (care provided to improve a situation (especially medical procedures or applications that are intended to relieve illness or injury))

first aid (emergency care given before regular medical aid can be obtained)

dental care (care for the teeth)

pet sitting (the work of a pet sitter; caring for pets in their own home while their owners are away from home)

baby sitting; babysitting (the work of a baby sitter; caring for children when their parents are not home)

maternalism (motherly care; behavior characteristic of a mother; the practice of acting as a mother does toward her children)

Derivation:

aid (improve the condition of)

• AID (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they aid    ... he / she / it aids   
Past simple: aided   
Past participle: aided   
-ing form: aiding   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give help or assistance; be of service

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

aid; assist; help

Context example:

She never helps around the house

Hypernyms (to "aid" is one way to...):

back up; support (give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "aid"):

alleviate; ease; facilitate (make easier)

assist; attend; attend to; serve; wait on (work for or be a servant to)

benefact (help as a benefactor)

help out (be of help, as in a particular situation of need)

subserve (be helpful or useful)

succor; succour (help in a difficult situation)

expedite; hasten (speed up the progress of; facilitate)

avail (be of use to, be useful to)

care; give care (provide care for)

bootstrap (help oneself, often through improvised means)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot aid Sue

Derivation:

aid (a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Improve the condition of

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

aid; help

Context example:

These pills will help the patient

Hypernyms (to "aid" is one way to...):

ameliorate; amend; better; improve; meliorate (to make better)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "aid"):

bring around; cure; heal (provide a cure for, make healthy again)

benefit; do good (be beneficial for)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

aid (the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something)

 Context examples 

For example, in addition to highlighting potential side-effects, findings of the study can further aid drug development through novel insights on protein targets of new and existing drugs.

(Scientists create ‘genetic atlas’ of proteins in human blood, University of Cambridge)

The study notes that this distant link between land and ocean records could aid in predicting the dry season (winter) rainfall amounts in northeast India and help farmers.

(Cave stalagmites reveal India’s rainfall secrets, SciDev.Net)

In a remote village, an aid worker pricks a sickly toddler's fingertip and, like most of the other village children's blood samples, this one turns a test strip yellow.

(Test for life-threatening nutrient deficit is made from bacteria entrails, National Science Foundation)

This discovery, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, was aided by Eve, an artificially-intelligent ‘robot scientist’.

(Toothpaste ingredient may help fight drug-resistant malaria, University of Cambridge)

“Now,” thought she to herself, “no aid of man can be of use to me.”

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

These microtori, because they are active materials, could be used to aid in micromixing.

(Tiny swimming 'doughnuts' deliver the biomedical goods, National Science Foundation)

These findings suggest that using a molecular chaperone to aid the dysfunctional enzyme may be a useful strategy for treating both diseases.

(Molecule may impact Gaucher, Parkinson’s disease, NIH)

This simple approach could improve diagnosis of diseases by medical professionals, or by patients themselves at home, aided by artificial intelligence software.

(Brazilian researchers eye biosensors to monitor diabetes, SciDev.Net)

The newly discovered planet, called OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb, aids scientists in their quest to figure out the distribution of planets in our galaxy.

('Iceball' Planet Discovered Through Microlensing, NASA)

Although the Joslin team hasn't shown that 12,13-diHOME also triggers brown fat activation in humans, the lipid could aid research by acting as a biomarker for the process.

(Giving Brown Fat A Green Light, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)