"helping" in the noun sense
1. helping, portion, serving
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
"the helpings were all small"
"his portion was larger than hers"
"there's enough for two servings each"
"helping" in the verb sense
1. help, assist, aid
give help or assistance be of service
"Everyone helped out during the earthquake"
"Can you help me carry this table?"
"She never helps around the house"
2. help, aid
improve the condition of
"These pills will help the patient"
3. help, facilitate
be of use
"This will help to prevent accidents"
4. help oneself, help
abstain from doing always used with a negative
"I can't help myself
5. serve, help
help to some food help with food or drink
"I served him three times, and after that he helped himself"
6. help
contribute to the furtherance of
"This money will help the development of literacy in developing countries"
7. avail, help
take or use
"She helped herself to some of the office supplies"
8. help
improve change for the better
"New slipcovers will help the old living room furniture"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License