Meaning & use
friend circle
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Meaning
nouncountable
The group of people with whom someone regularly spends time and considers friends.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a friend circle' or 'friend circles'.
Patterns
- someone's friend circle
- a wide/large friend circle
- expand one's friend circle
She has a small friend circle but they are very close.
He moved to a new city and had to build a new friend circle from scratch.
My friend circle includes people from work and from my running club.
Word forms
| plural | friend circles |
|---|
Common combinations
- a close friend circle
- They have a close friend circle that meets every weekend.
- expand your friend circle
- Joining clubs is a good way to expand your friend circle.
- a wide friend circle
- She has a wide friend circle and is always busy socializing.
- within someone's friend circle
- The news spread quickly within his friend circle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- social circle
- Very similar, but can include acquaintances and professional contacts, not just friends.
- circle of friends
- More formal and slightly more common in writing; 'friend circle' is more casual.
- clique
- Often disapproving; refers to a small, exclusive group that does not welcome others.
Word family
- friendship noun
- The relationship between friends.
Commonly confused: friend circle or friend zone?
friend circle vs friend zone
A different informal term meaning a situation where one person wants a romantic relationship but the other wants only friendship.
Practice
After moving abroad, it took him a while to build a new ___.
Choose one answer.
'Friend circle' fits because it means the group of friends someone has. 'Friend group' is also possible but less common in this exact phrase; 'friendship' refers to the relationship itself, not the group.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “friend circle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.