Helper Meaning
/ˈhɛlpɚ/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounOne who helps; an aide; assistant; auxiliary.
nounThat which helps; anything serving to assist.
Sentence Examples
I want to hire a helper.
Now that they have a baby, the Tanakas had to hire a part-time helper.
He was a helper to me with my projects.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The kind ____ assisted the old lady with her groceries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The teacher's ____ handed out the worksheets to all the students at the beginning of the lesson.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English helpere, from Old English *helpere, from Proto-West Germanic *helpārī (“helper”), equivalent to help + -er. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hälper (“helper”), West Frisian helper (“helper”), Dutch helper (“helper”), German Low German Helper (“helper”), German Helfer (“helper”), Danish hjælper (“helper”), Swedish hjälpare (“helper”), Icelandic hjálpar (“helper”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"While Adobe's Acrobat Reader, Macromedia's Flash player, and other common plug-ins suggest themselves the moment you encounter a site that requires them, other browser helpers are harder to find."
— 2005, PC World, volume 23, page 158:
"He no longer liked food that had “helper” in the name, such as Hamburger Helper and Tuna Helper. Patsy said he'd become uppity, and maybe, when it came to food, he had."
— 2012, Jude Deveraux, The Mulberry Tree, page 84:
"If a particular calculation is to be used a few times, it makes sense to put it in a helper cell so that it can be referred to by other formulas."
— 2014, Neale Blackwood, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants, page 154:
"A device for the automatic control of crewless helper locomotives cut into the make-up of heavy freight trains has been perfected by the Louisville & Nashville RR in conjunction with the General Railway Signalling Co."
— 1964 November, “Automatic helper locomotive control on the Louisville & Nashville RR, USA”, in Modern Railways, page 354:
"And I routinely took more “helpers” when I woke up in order to maintain the fast pace and, more importantly, to study for my final exams."
— 1985, Priscilla Presley, Sandra Harmon, Elvis and Me, Putnam, →ISBN, page 152:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The kind ____ assisted the old lady with her groceries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The teacher's ____ handed out the worksheets to all the students at the beginning of the lesson.