succour
gb/sˈʌkɚ/ us/sˈʌkɚ/
C2
English
~ 9600
segítség, segély, vigasz, segít, megsegít
NOUN
C2
FORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
succour for [someone] in [a difficult situation]
Aid agencies rushed to provide succour to the earthquake survivors.
A segélyszervezetek siettek segítséget nyújtani a földrengés túlélőinek.
The charity offers food and medical succour to refugees along the border.
A segélyszervezet élelmet és orvosi segítséget nyújt a határ mentén tartózkodó menekülteknek.
During the crisis, local communities stepped in to bring succour to those who had lost their homes.
Volunteers worked through the night, determined to give succour to the injured and the homeless.
The new fund will deliver succour to small businesses struggling to stay open.
Learner examples
The group raised money to bring succour to sick children.
A csoport pénzt gyűjtött, hogy segítséget vigyen a beteg gyerekeknek.
Doctors and nurses came to give succour to people after the flood.
Orvosok és ápolók jöttek, hogy segítséget nyújtsanak az embereknek az árvíz után.
The town sent food as succour to the hungry families.
She joined an organisation that provides succour to the poor.
Volunteers travelled to the war zone to offer succour to the wounded.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "succour" in casual conversation where more common words like "help" or "support" are natural. In everyday speech, "help" or "support" is usually better, and "succour" is mostly used in formal writing or news reports.
Meaning
help and support in hardship
Collocations
give succour
|offer succour
|humanitarian succour
|in need of succour
|come to the succour of
|seek succour
Synonyms
aid (Very close in meaning; slightly more general and more common in modern English, especially for organized help such as medical or financial aid.)
|
assistance (Neutral, common term for practical or official help; less emotionally loaded than "succour".)
|
relief (Often used for help that removes suffering or hardship, especially after disasters; can focus more on the effect than the act of helping.)
|
support (Broader term that can be emotional, practical, or financial; more common in everyday language.)
Antonyms
neglect (Suggests failing to provide help or care when it is needed, the opposite of active assistance.)
|
abandonment (Emphasizes leaving people without help or protection, especially in a time of need.)
Themes
society
|humanitarian
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
|health
Definition
Help and support given to people who are in great need or in a very bad situation.
Assistance and support given to people who are suffering, in danger, or facing serious difficulty.
NOUN
C2
LITERARY
2
vigasz
B1
Usage pattern:
to find succour in [something]
After the accident, he found little succour in the official explanations.
A baleset után kevés vigaszt talált a hivatalos magyarázatokban.
She found spiritual succour in her faith during the long months of treatment.
A kezelés hosszú hónapjai alatt lelki vigaszt talált a hitében.
Many people sought succour in music and books while they were isolated at home.
The letter from her old friend was a great succour in her loneliness.
For some, the online community became a source of succour in difficult times.
Learner examples
She found succour in talking with close friends.
Vigaszt talált abban, hogy közeli barátaival beszélgetett.
Many people find succour in prayer when they are afraid.
Sokan az imában találnak vigaszt, amikor félnek.
He found succour in music after his father died.
Books gave her succour during her long illness.
The child found succour in his mother’s arms.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with the more practical "help" sense. This meaning focuses on emotional or spiritual comfort, so it often appears with verbs like "find" or "seek" and with sources such as "prayer", "music", or "friends".
Meaning
comfort or relief in trouble
Collocations
find succour in
|seek succour in
|spiritual succour
|emotional succour
Synonyms
solace (Very close in meaning; also literary and often used for emotional comfort in grief or pain.)
|
comfort (More common everyday word; can be emotional or physical, and is less formal than "succour".)
|
consolation (Focuses on something that makes sadness or disappointment easier to bear; often used after loss.)
Antonyms
distress (General state of great suffering or anxiety; the opposite of feeling relief or comfort.)
|
torment (Intense mental or physical suffering, contrasting with comfort and ease.)
Themes
emotions
|religion
|literature
|health
Definition
Comfort and relief that a person gets from something or someone when they are very sad, afraid, or in pain.
A feeling or source of comfort and relief for someone who is suffering or deeply distressed.
VERB
C2
LITERARY
3
Usage pattern:
to succour [someone]
Medical teams worked to succour those trapped by the landslide.
Az orvosi csapatok azon dolgoztak, hogy segítsenek a földcsuszamlás miatt rekedt embereknek.
Local charities moved quickly to succour families who had lost their homes.
A helyi jótékonysági szervezetek gyorsan léptek, hogy segítsenek azoknak a családoknak, akik elvesztették az otthonukat.
The mission was launched to succour civilians caught in the fighting.
Volunteers arrived to succour the exhausted firefighters.
They pledged to succour the most vulnerable members of the community.
Learner examples
Doctors came to succour the injured people.
Az orvosok azért jöttek, hogy segítsenek a sérülteknek.
Charities tried to succour families after the storm.
A jótékonysági szervezetek megpróbáltak segíteni a családoknak a vihar után.
Soldiers helped to succour people in the flooded village.
The group worked all night to succour the hungry children.
Volunteers travelled to succour victims of the fire.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "succour" as a verb in casual speech where "help" or "support" sounds natural. Also, some confuse the noun and verb forms and say *"to give succour someone" instead of "to succour someone" or "to give succour to someone".
Meaning
to help someone in hardship
Collocations
succour the wounded
|succour the poor
|succour victims of war
|succoured by volunteers
|efforts to succour refugees
Synonyms
help (Direct, very common verb; used in all kinds of contexts, while "succour" is more formal and rare.)
|
aid (Often used for organized or official help, especially in disasters; slightly more formal than "help" but more common than "succour".)
|
assist (Neutral and often formal; can be used in both everyday and official situations, not limited to serious suffering.)
Antonyms
neglect (To fail to give needed help or care, the opposite of actively helping someone in need.)
|
abandon (To leave someone without help or protection, especially in a dangerous or painful situation.)
Themes
humanitarian
|society
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
|health
Definition
To help and support someone who is in great need or in a very bad situation.
To give help and support to someone who is suffering, in danger, or facing serious difficulty.
Grammar
Dictionary form
succour
IPA
GB/sˈʌkɚ/
US/sˈʌkɚ/
Syllables & stress
suc - cour (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (suc)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: succour
- Plural: succour, succours
Verb
- Base: succour
- 3rd Person Singular: succours
- Present Participle: succouring
- Past: succoured
Word family
Forms
succours
noun
succouring
verb
succoured
verb
Related words
succor
noun
Expressions
come to the succour of
1/kˈʌm tə ðə sˈʌkɚ əv/
fixed phrase
formal
go and help someone in trouble
To go to someone who is in serious trouble and help them.
Examples
- Local residents came to the succour of tourists stranded by the storm.
- Several neighbouring countries came to the succour of the flooded nation.
- When the company collapsed, a rival firm came to the succour of its workers.
find succour in
1/fˈaɪnd sˈʌkɚ ˈɪn/
fixed phrase
literary
receive comfort from something
To get comfort and relief from something when you are very sad or in pain.
Examples
- She found succour in poetry during her long recovery.
- Many people found succour in online communities during the lockdowns.
- He found succour in the quiet routine of his garden.
give succour to
1/ɡˈɪv sˈʌkɚ tə/
fixed phrase
formal
provide help to someone in need
To give help and support to a person or group that is in great need.
Examples
- The organisation was created to give succour to families affected by war.
- Volunteers rushed to give succour to those left homeless after the fire.
- International donors promised to give succour to the drought-stricken region.
seek succour in
1/sˈik sˈʌkɚ ˈɪn/
fixed phrase
literary
look for comfort in something
To look for comfort and relief in something when you are suffering or very unhappy.
Examples
- After losing his job, he sought succour in religion.
- Some patients seek succour in alternative therapies when standard treatment fails.
- She sought succour in work to distract herself from her worries.