Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who voluntarily offers help or sympathy in times of trouble: A "good samaritan" is someone who selflessly and kindly helps a stranger in need, especially in an unexpected or emergency situation.

Usage

• The term is used to describe a person who performs a kind act for someone they do not know, without expectation of reward or thanks.
• It often refers to acts of assistance in public spaces or during accidents or crises.
• The term is capitalized as "Good Samaritan" when referring specifically to the biblical parable, but in general modern usage, it is often written in lowercase ("good samaritan").

Examples

• Noun:
  • After my car broke down on the highway, a good samaritan stopped to help me change the tire.
  • The child was rescued from the pond by a Good Samaritan who happened to be walking by.

Advanced Usage

• "Good Samaritan law": A law that offers legal protection to people who give reasonable assistance to those who are injured, ill, or in peril, protecting the helper from liability if unintended harm results.
  • The doctor was protected by Good Samaritan laws when she provided emergency care at the scene of the accident.

Variants and Related Words

• Samaritan (noun): Can refer to a native or inhabitant of Samaria. In modern contexts, it is almost exclusively used in the phrase "good samaritan" to mean a charitable person.
• Altruist (noun): A person who has an unselfish concern for the welfare of others.

Synonyms

• Helper: A person who helps someone else.
• Benefactor: A person who gives money or other help to a person or cause.
• Do-gooder: A well-meaning but sometimes unrealistic or interfering philanthropist or reformer. (This can have a slightly negative connotation.)

Related Phrases

• To play the good samaritan: To act as a good samaritan.
  • He saw the stranded motorist and decided to play the good samaritan.

Related Idioms

• A good samaritan act/deed: An act of kindness performed for a stranger.
  • Her decision to pay for the family's groceries was a true good samaritan deed.

Noun

1. a person who voluntarily offers help or sympathy in times of trouble