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to come to (someone's) aid

to come to (someone's) aid

3 3.1
To help someone when they are in trouble
  • phrasal verb
  • /kʌm tu eɪd/
translation icon : venir en ayuda (de alguien)
  • The paramedics came to his aid immediately following the accident.

Examples

  • Every neighbor in the community came to the family's aid after the fire.

  • He watches as strangers come to his sister's aid, just as he had watched the newsreels, mouth open, eyes wide.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Why did you come to my aid?

  • Thank you again for coming to my aid on the road.

  • The doctor comes to my aid again.

  • And no one came to his aid.

  • Well, for those 24 hours, it seemed like every person in town came to the team's aid.

  • Our president took a great risk to come to your aid against strong opposition in both parties and among our allies.

  • We're aware of that, sir, that's why the state has asked us to come to your aid.

  • We also are very appreciative of the efforts of several people in the Central West End who came to our daughter Megan's aid after the incident.

    Blog text (6)

Synonyms

to help
vsto come to (someone's) aid
1.0

To make a task or situation easier for someone

is mainly used for acting during urgent need or serious difficulty
to rescue
vsto come to (someone's) aid
633 1.0

Save someone or something from danger

is about helping in times of need more broadly, not only life threats
to assist
vsto come to (someone's) aid
605 1.0

To help someone by making a task easier

focuses on urgent personal intervention rather than routine task improvement
to help out
vsto come to (someone's) aid
  • Informal
486 1.0

To do something for someone who cannot do it alone

is used more broadly for acting during general difficulty rather than single tasks
to help someone out
vsto come to (someone's) aid
  • Informal
182 1.3

Give someone support with a task or problem when they need it

is used to intervene quickly at moments of real danger or urgent need
to lend a hand
vsto come to (someone's) aid
  • Informal
28 1.3

To help someone with a task

is more about stepping in briefly not long term or formal measures
to offer support
vsto come to (someone's) aid
28 2.7

To give help to someone during a difficult time

is more about sudden action at a critical moment rather than ongoing backing
to come through for
vsto come to (someone's) aid
  • Informal
26 3.5

To help someone when they need it most

is used for immediate intervention during urgent need rather than slow support
to come to one's rescue
vsto come to (someone's) aid
16 3.1

To help someone who is in trouble or danger

is about acting in times of need rather than providing steady, long term care
to come to the rescue
vsto come to (someone's) aid
14 3.4

Arrive to help someone who is in trouble

is mainly used for acting in need rather than offering routine or mild support
to lend a helping hand
vsto come to (someone's) aid
  • Informal
6 2.7

To give someone support with a task or problem

is about acting in urgent moments rather than providing long term assistance
to provide aid
vsto come to (someone's) aid
5 2.9

To give help to people and countries in need

is commonly used for individual, immediate acts rather than large organized relief
to succor
vsto come to (someone's) aid
  • Formal
1 9.6

To give help to someone in a difficult or dangerous time

is used more for general moments of need rather than strictly dangerous cases

Antonyms

773 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

100 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

How Helpful

to rescue
633 1.0
to come to (someone's) aid
3 3.1
to lend a helping hand
  • Informal
6 2.7

Surface Forms

coming to (someone's) aid present participle
comes to (someone's) aid third person singular
come to (someone's) aid past participle

Morphology

come + to + (someone's) + aid

The meaning 'to help someone' is directly and compositionally derived from 'come' (arrive/move toward), the directional 'to', and 'aid' (help). This construction mirrors common cross-linguistic patterns (e.g. French 'venir en aide à', Spanish 'venir en ayuda de'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Come to (someone's) aid paints a simple picture: people come running to someone in trouble to give aid, like a helping hand or a bandage. That's why it means 'to help someone in need'.