USAID /ˌjuː es eɪ aɪ ˈdiː/ BrE AmE
abbreviation for the United States Agency for International Development; the US government organization that is responsible for providing FOREIGN AID , but not weapons, to the developing world. It claims that its aim is to encourage the spread of ↑ democracy and ↑ free market s , and also to improve the quality of people's lives, but some people have criticized it for helping countries for military or political reasons.