Meaning & use
helped
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“helped” is a form of “help”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
gave assistance to someone, or made something easier for them (past tense of help).
Grammar: Takes an object when you say who was assisted: 'She helped me.' It can also stand alone: 'He helped with the cooking.'
Patterns
- helped someone
- helped someone with something
- helped to do something
- helped do something
My brother helped me move the furniture last weekend.
The teacher helped the students understand the difficult question.
A kind stranger helped us find the right bus stop.
verbtransitive
made a situation better or improved something (past tense of help).
Grammar: Takes a thing as the object: 'The rain helped the crops.' Often used with 'a lot', 'a little', or 'greatly'.
Patterns
- helped something
- helped the situation
- helped a lot
- helped improve something
The extra practice helped her confidence a lot.
A short break helped his headache.
The new rules helped reduce waiting times.
verbtransitiveAmerican
served food or drink to someone (past tense of help).
Grammar: Used mainly with 'to' plus food or drink: 'She helped him to more rice.' This sense is more common in American English.
Patterns
- helped someone to something
- helped oneself to something
Grandma helped me to another slice of cake.
He helped himself to some coffee while he waited.
Word forms
| base form | help |
|---|---|
| third person singular | helps |
| present participle | helping |
| past tense | helped |
| past participle | helped |
Common combinations
- helped a lot
- Your advice helped a lot.
- helped someone with something
- She helped me with my homework.
- helped to do something
- They helped to clean the park.
- helped out
- My neighbor helped out at the event.
- helped improve
- The training helped improve safety.
Synonyms and how they differ
- assisted
- More formal than 'helped' and often used in official or medical contexts.
- supported
- Suggests giving steady help over time, not just one action.
- aided
- Formal or literary; common in news reports about aid or rescue.
- backed
- Focuses on giving approval or support, often to a person or plan.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: helped or hoped? helped or help?
helped vs hoped
'Helped' is the past of 'help'; 'hoped' is the past of 'hope'. They sound different: /helpt/ vs /hoʊpt/.
helped vs help
Use 'helped' for past time and 'help' for present or after 'to': 'She helped me yesterday' vs 'She can help me tomorrow.'
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Yesterday' needs a past tense, so 'helped' is correct. 'Help' is present, 'helping' needs 'was' or 'is', and 'helps' is present simple, which does not fit 'yesterday'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “helped”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.