good Samaritan
1
3.7
- noun
- /ɡʊd səˈmærɪtən/
- WALA - The case against two people accused of attacking some Good Samaritans will go to the Grand Jury.
- just a good Samaritan
- two good Samaritans
- play good Samaritan
Examples
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I like to think we are all good Samaritans.
Blog text (19) -
The minute I saw you, I said to myself, "There's a good Samaritan."
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Here, we are all the good Samaritans.
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Do you think that makes you a good Samaritan?
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Wrong day to be a good Samaritan.
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I could use a good samaritan.
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The victim was a good Samaritan who tried to help.
Blog text (5) -
If you have an elderly neighbor, be a good Samaritan and check on his or her status.
Blog text (3) -
We have "good Samaritan" laws wherein one is required to come to a person's aid where reasonably possible.
Blog text (19) -
After the accident, a good Samaritan stopped to help the injured driver.
Synonyms
507
1.0
A very kind person who helps others
160
3.5
Not paid for doing a job
91
1.0
A person who does tasks for others, for example at events
51
1.0
A person who offers money or help to others without asking for anything back
49
4.2
A person who helps others in need
26
9.7
A person who often helps other people
25
4.2
A person who cares about people in need and helps them
3
6.7
A person who cares about others and helps them without expecting anything back
1
3.0
A person who helps another with a task or need
1
9.3
A person who offers money, food, or other help to people in need
Antonyms
How Helpful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'good' (morally positive) modifying 'Samaritan' (a helper/compassionate person), so the combined sense — a particularly kind or helpful person who assists others, often strangers — is compositional. Although the expression has a Biblical origin, that cultural background isn't needed for understanding if a learner already knows both constituent words; similar constructions exist in many languages.
Etymology
The phrase good Samaritan comes from a Bible story. One popular story says a man was robbed and left hurt on the road, and many people passed by, but a Samaritan stopped, cleaned his wounds, and paid for his care. So today a 'good Samaritan' means someone who helps a stranger without expecting a reward.