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Meaning & use

best friend

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌbest ˈfrend/
US/ˌbɛst ˈfrɛnd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    The friend you like, trust and spend time with more than any other.

    Grammar: Usually has a possessive: my best friend. You can have more than one in everyday speech.

    Patterns

    • my best friend
    • best friend of someone

    My best friend and I have known each other since kindergarten.

    She told her best friend the secret before anyone else.

    He was the best friend I ever had.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    Something or someone that is especially helpful or valuable to a person in a particular situation.

    Grammar: Often used figuratively with a thing: a dog is man's best friend.

    Patterns

    • something's best friend
    • your best friend

    A good pair of boots is a hiker's best friend.

    Sunscreen is your best friend on a beach holiday.

    A reliable map is a traveler's best friend in an unfamiliar city.

Word forms

pluralbest friends

Common combinations

my best friend
My best friend lives three streets away.
childhood best friend
I still talk to my childhood best friend every week.
best friends forever
They wrote best friends forever on the card, along with a drawing.
become best friends
The two girls became best friends on the first day of school.
your own best friend
Be your own best friend and treat yourself kindly.

Synonyms and how they differ

closest friend
Closest friend is a slightly more formal way of saying the same thing, and it works well in writing.
bosom buddy
Bosom buddy is old-fashioned and a little humorous, suggesting a very close pair.
BFF
BFF is a texting abbreviation of best friend forever, and it is informal and mostly used among young people.
confidant
A confidant is someone you trust with secrets, but they need not be your best friend.

Opposites

enemyworst enemy

Word family

friend noun
a person you like and know well
friendship noun
the relationship between friends
friendly adjective
kind and pleasant to others
befriend verb
to become a friend of someone

Commonly confused: best friend or good friend?

best friend vs good friend

A good friend is someone you like well, but a best friend is the one you rank first.

Practice

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