Meaning & use

befriend

verb·Academic

To become a friend to someone, especially someone who is new, lonely, or in need.

See it in a sentence

The new student was quickly befriended by a classmate who showed her around.

He befriended an elderly neighbor and began visiting him every weekend.

A note on using this word

Befriend emphasizes an active, often kind gesture toward someone who might otherwise be alone.

Words with a similar meaning

make friends with

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

shunavoid

Make it your own

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