auxiliary

Pluralauxiliaries

1. 1
   adjective

   Giving help or support to someone or something.

   Auxiliary troops came to help the main army hold the bridge.

   The town has auxiliary police officers who help out at big events.

   Similarancillary, accessory

   Note
2. 2
   adjective

   Added to the main thing, but less important than it.

   The library keeps its old books in an auxiliary building next door.

   Our class has an auxiliary workbook with extra practice pages.

   Similarsupplementary, additional, secondary, extra

   Oppositemain, primary

3. 3
   volunteer groupnouncountable

   A person or group that helps or supports others.

   My grandmother joined the church auxiliary and helps at every dinner.

   Volunteer auxiliaries helped the firefighters hand out water.

   Note
4. 4
   backupadjective

   Kept ready to use only when something unusual happens.

   When the power went out, the hospital turned on its auxiliary generator.

   The ship carries an auxiliary pump in case the main one breaks.

   Similarbackup, spare

   Oppositemain, primary

5. 5
   grammar wordnounabbreviationellipsis

   Short for auxiliary verb. It means a helping verb, like have or be, that goes with a main verb.

   In the sentence "We have finished," the word have is the auxiliary.

   The teacher marked the sentence wrong because it was missing an auxiliary.

   Note
6. 6
   in grammaradjective

   Having to do with a helping verb that goes with the main verb.

   The teacher showed us the auxiliary use of have in "I have eaten."

   Be and have are verbs with both main and auxiliary uses.

   Note
7. 7
   nouncountable

   A ship or boat with sails that also has an engine.

   Our boat is an auxiliary, so we can use the engine when there is no wind.

   The auxiliary raised its sails as soon as it left the harbor.

8. 8
   with an engineadjective

   Describes a ship that has sails and an engine too.

   An auxiliary sailboat can turn on its engine when the wind stops.

   The auxiliary schooner sailed across the bay and used its motor to come back at night.

   Note
9. 9
   color guardnouncountable

   The color guard of a marching band, the group that performs but does not play music.

   The auxiliary waved bright flags while the band played.

   My sister tried out for the auxiliary at her high school.

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