To help means to make something easier for someone or to assist them in doing something they're trying to accomplish. When you help your friend carry heavy books, you're making their job lighter. When a tutor helps a student understand fractions, they're guiding them toward knowledge they couldn't reach alone.

Helping takes many forms. Sometimes it means doing part of the work, like when several kids help clean up after an art project. Other times it means offering advice, encouragement, or just being there when someone needs support. A big brother might help his sister learn to ride a bike by holding the seat steady. A teammate might help by passing the ball at just the right moment.

The word can also describe making a situation better: medicine helps you feel better when you're sick, or good lighting helps you read more easily. When something can't be helped, it means the situation is beyond anyone's control, like rain on the day of your field trip.

Help works best when you pay attention to what someone actually needs. Pushing unwanted help on someone isn't really helping at all.