friend

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Someone you like and trust and choose to spend time with, who is not a relative or a romantic partner.

   Grammar: Often with a possessive: my friend, a friend of mine.

   Patterns

   • a friend of someone
   • friends with someone
   • a friend to someone

   My oldest friend lives three streets away.

   She is a close friend of my sister.

   He made friends quickly at his new school.

2. 2nouncountableformal

   A person who supports a cause, group or organization, often by giving help or money.

   Grammar: Often used in names: Friends of the Library.

   Patterns

   • a friend of something

   The theater relies on its Friends group to raise funds.

   He has always been a friend of the arts.

   The senator was a friend to small businesses.

3. 3nouncountable

   Someone who is not an enemy, or who is on the same side in a conflict or debate.

   Grammar: Used in contrast with foe: friend or foe.

   Patterns

   • friend or foe

   The guard asked the stranger whether he was friend or foe.

   In this debate, the data is your friend.

   A good sense of humor is a friend in hard times.

4. 4verbtransitiveinformalcomputing

   To add someone to your list of contacts on a social media site.

   Grammar: Takes an object: she friended her cousin.

   Patterns

   • friend someone

   I friended my old teacher after finding her profile.

   He accidentally friended a stranger.

   She asked me to friend her sister so we could share photos.

Word forms

Common combinations

close friend

She told only a close friend about the surprise.

make friends

It took him a week to make friends in the new office.

friends with someone

I've been friends with Maria since kindergarten.

best friend

His best friend drove six hours to attend the wedding.

lifelong friend

They became lifelong friends after the trip.

a friend in need

A friend in need is a friend indeed, as the old saying goes.

Synonyms and how they differ

pal

Pal is more casual and often used for men or boys in an easygoing way.

companion

Companion highlights someone who accompanies you and may not be a close friend.

mate

Mate is a British and Australian informal word that can describe a friend or be a casual form of address.

acquaintance

An acquaintance is someone you know slightly, while a friend implies real trust and warmth.

Opposites

Word family

friendship noun

the bond between friends

friendly adjective

kind and pleasant toward others

befriend verb

to become a friend to someone, often one who needs help

friendless adjective

having no friends

unfriend verb

to remove someone from your online contacts

Commonly confused: friend or acquaintance?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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