"can't help" meaning in English

See can't help in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-can't help.ogg [Australia] Forms: can't help [present, singular, third-person], couldn't help [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|can't<can't,-,couldn't,-> help}} can't help (third-person singular simple present can't help, no present participle, simple past couldn't help, no past participle)
  1. (idiomatic) Be unable to avoid a situation, or stop something from happening. Tags: idiomatic, no-past-participle, no-present-participle Synonyms: cannot help Translations (not be able to avoid something): 忍唔住 (jan² m⁴ zyu⁶) (Chinese Cantonese), 忍不住 (rěnbuzhù) (Chinese Mandarin), 不禁 (bùjīn) (Chinese Mandarin), être plus fort que soi (French), ne pas pouvoir s’empêcher de (French), ne rien pouvoir y faire (French), nicht umhin können (German), nicht lassen können (German), nicht anders können als (German), non poter fare a meno di (Italian), non potere fare a meno di (Italian), non poterci fare niente (Italian), ...しないではいられない (...shinaide wa irarenai) (Japanese), 안 … ᆯ(할) 수 없다 (alt: an … -l(hal) su eopda) (Korean), не мочь не (ne močʹ ne) (Russian), no poder evitar de (Spanish), no poder dejar de (Spanish), inte kunna låta bli (Swedish), inte rå för (Swedish), inte kunna rå för (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for can't help meaning in English (5.0kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "can't help",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "couldn't help",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "can't<can't,-,couldn't,-> help"
      },
      "expansion": "can't help (third-person singular simple present can't help, no present participle, simple past couldn't help, no past participle)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English negative polarity items",
          "parents": [
            "Negative polarity items",
            "Terms by semantic function"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant script codes",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I can't help crying whenever I see \"Romeo and Juliet\".",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Be unable to avoid a situation, or stop something from happening."
      ],
      "id": "en-can't_help-en-verb-EAS0tlLl",
      "links": [
        [
          "avoid",
          "avoid#English"
        ],
        [
          "stop",
          "stop#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Be unable to avoid a situation, or stop something from happening."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "cannot help"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "no-past-participle",
        "no-present-participle"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "jan² m⁴ zyu⁶",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "忍唔住"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "rěnbuzhù",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "忍不住"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "bùjīn",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "不禁"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "être plus fort que soi"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "ne pas pouvoir s’empêcher de"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "ne rien pouvoir y faire"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "nicht umhin können"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "nicht lassen können"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "nicht anders können als"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "non poter fare a meno di"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "non potere fare a meno di"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "non poterci fare niente"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "...shinaide wa irarenai",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "...しないではいられない"
        },
        {
          "alt": "an … -l(hal) su eopda",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "안 … ᆯ(할) 수 없다"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "ne močʹ ne",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "не мочь не"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "no poder evitar de"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "no poder dejar de"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "inte kunna låta bli"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "inte rå för"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
          "word": "inte kunna rå för"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-can't help.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a8/En-au-can%27t_help.ogg/En-au-can%27t_help.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/En-au-can%27t_help.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "can't help"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "can't help",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "couldn't help",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "can't<can't,-,couldn't,-> help"
      },
      "expansion": "can't help (third-person singular simple present can't help, no present participle, simple past couldn't help, no past participle)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations",
        "English catenative verbs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English negative polarity items",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I can't help crying whenever I see \"Romeo and Juliet\".",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Be unable to avoid a situation, or stop something from happening."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "avoid",
          "avoid#English"
        ],
        [
          "stop",
          "stop#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Be unable to avoid a situation, or stop something from happening."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "no-past-participle",
        "no-present-participle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-can't help.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a8/En-au-can%27t_help.ogg/En-au-can%27t_help.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/En-au-can%27t_help.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "cannot help"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "jan² m⁴ zyu⁶",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "忍唔住"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "rěnbuzhù",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "忍不住"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "bùjīn",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "不禁"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "être plus fort que soi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "ne pas pouvoir s’empêcher de"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "ne rien pouvoir y faire"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "nicht umhin können"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "nicht lassen können"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "nicht anders können als"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "non poter fare a meno di"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "non potere fare a meno di"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "non poterci fare niente"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "...shinaide wa irarenai",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "...しないではいられない"
    },
    {
      "alt": "an … -l(hal) su eopda",
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "안 … ᆯ(할) 수 없다"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "ne močʹ ne",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "не мочь не"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "no poder evitar de"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "no poder dejar de"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "inte kunna låta bli"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "inte rå för"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "not be able to avoid something",
      "word": "inte kunna rå för"
    }
  ],
  "word": "can't help"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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