boon companion

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableliteraryold-fashioned

   A close, cheerful friend with whom you enjoy spending time, especially drinking or relaxing.

   Grammar: Countable: say 'a boon companion' or 'his boon companions'.

   Patterns

   • someone's boon companion
   • a boon companion of someone

   He spent the evening at the tavern with his old boon companion, Tom.

   The two men had been boon companions since their university days, sharing every adventure.

   She described her sister as her boon companion and the person she could always laugh with.

2. 2nouncountableliteraryhumorous

   A person who joins you in a particular activity or habit, often one that is criticized.

   Grammar: Often used slightly humorously for a partner in mischief or excess.

   Patterns

   • a boon companion in something
   • become boon companions

   By midnight the two of them had become boon companions in mischief.

   He found a boon companion in his neighbor, and together they stayed up late arguing about music.

Word forms

Common combinations

an old boon companion

He greeted his old boon companion with a warm handshake.

a boon companion of someone

The poet was a boon companion of the young prince.

become boon companions

Over the summer the two boys became boon companions.

drinking companions

His drinking companions rarely left the pub before closing time.

Synonyms and how they differ

buddy

Buddy is informal and common in everyday American speech, while boon companion sounds literary and old-fashioned.

comrade

Comrade suggests a shared cause or struggle rather than simply enjoyable company.

sidekick

Sidekick suggests a helper who follows a more important person, often in stories, not an equal friend.

Opposites

Word family

boon noun

A welcome benefit or gift, as in 'a boon to farmers'.

Commonly confused: boon companion or boom companion?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “boon companion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words