helpline

noun

help·​line ˈhelp-ˌlīn 

 Southern often  ˈhep-,

 also  ˈheəp-

variants or less commonly help line

plural helplines also help lines

: a phone service providing help or assistance: such as

a

: a telephone service that is usually available to the public and that provides advice, support, resources, etc. for some specific purpose (such as crisis intervention)

a free/confidential/24-hour helpline

He's also a peer support specialist for DeQH, a helpline for South Asian LGBTQ people.

—Rose Brennan

Calls to state addiction help lines have risen, as have alcohol use, drug overdoses and relapse rates, experts have said.

—Steve Janoski

… helpline volunteers offer support and basic information, locate treatment options in your area, and can help you find answers to any questions you may have.

—Radhika Menon

b

: a customer service line to provide support (such as technical support) for a product, service, etc.

Before making your purchase, phone the software vendor's customer helpline to make sure customer representatives are knowledgeable.

—Eric Berg

A user's guide, software documentation, and telephone helpline are included.

—Carol Tenopir

All week, Mata and other staffers have spent hours calling help lines set up by drug plan providers, only to get constant busy signals.

—Nicole Foy

Examples of helpline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Artificial Integrity systems would be equipped to recognize language patterns indicative of self-harm or suicidal intent, taking proactive steps to alert human supervisors or direct the user to crisis intervention resources, such as helplines or mental health professionals. —Hamilton Mann, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

In recent years, centers for problem gambling in some states have reported a rise in calls to their helplines. —Randi Richardson, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024

In Wayne County, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network has a 24-hour helpline at 800-241-4949. —Steve Pepple, Detroit Free Press, 20 Oct. 2024

With the rise of AI assistants designed to work in specific domains, there is a high risk of these models offering inappropriate answers on sensitive topics, like the chatbot for an eating disorder helpline that was shut down for giving detrimental advice. —Olga Megorskaya, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above