Meanings
helping1
plural helpings
- countableuncountableThe act of giving aid or assistance (to).
She finds great joy in helping people.
- countableA portion or serving, especially of food that one takes for oneself, or to which one helps oneself.
She eagerly took a second helping of ice cream.
- countablefigurativelyAn amount or quantity.
Wayne Rooney marked his England return with the goal that secured a place in Euro 2012's last eight - but it was a rough passage eased by helpings of good fortune and controversy against Ukraine.
2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport
helping2
comparative more helping · superlative most helping
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of help
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
helping · noun
- Middle Englishhelping
- Englishhelping
From Middle English helping, helpinge, helpynge, equivalent to help + -ing.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →helping · adjective, verb
- Old Englishhelpan“to help”
- Old Englishhelpende
- Middle Englishhelpinge
- Englishhelping
From Middle English helpinge, helpynge, helpinde, helponde, helpand, from Old English helpende, present participle of Old English helpan (“to help”), equivalent to help + -ing. Cognate with Dutch helpend, German helfend, Swedish hjälpande.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with helping
All rhymes →Cite this entry
helping. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helping
“helping.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helping. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “helping,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helping.
Source: helping on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.