friend

[ frend ]

noun

1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

   Synonyms: confidant, crony, chum, comrade

   Antonyms: foe, enemy

2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter

   friends of the Boston Symphony.

   Synonyms: advocate, backer

3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile:

   Who goes there? Friend or foe?

4. a member of the same nation, party, etc.

   Synonyms: compatriot, confrere, associate, ally

   Antonyms: foe, enemy

5. Friend, a member of the Society of Friends; a Quaker:

   The religious practices of Friends are founded in direct communion with God.

6. a person associated with another as a contact on a social media website:

   We've never met, but we're Facebook friends.

verb (used with object)

1. Rare. to befriend.
2. to add (a person) to one's list of contacts on a social media website:

   I just friended a couple of guys in my class.

Friend

¹

/ frɛnd /

noun

1. mountaineering a device consisting of a shaft with double-headed spring-loaded cams that can be wedged in a crack to provide an anchor point

friend

²

/ frɛnd /

noun

1. a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty; an intimate
2. an acquaintance or associate
3. an ally in a fight or cause; supporter
4. a fellow member of a party, society, etc
5. a patron or supporter

   a friend of the opera

6. be friends
   to be friendly (with)
7. make friends
   to become friendly (with)

verb

1. tr an archaic word for befriend

Friend

³

/ frɛnd /

noun

1. a member of the Religious Society of Friends; Quaker

Derived Forms

• ˈfriendship, noun
• ˈfriendless, adjective
• ˈfriendlessness, noun

Other Words From

• friend·less adjective
• friend·less·ness noun
• non·friend noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of friend¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English friend, frend, Old English frēond “friend, lover, relative” (cognate with Old Saxon friund, Old High German friunt ( German Freund ), Gothic frijōnds ), originally the present participle of frēogan, cognate with Gothic frijōn “to love”

Word History and Origins

Origin of friend¹

Old English frēond ; related to Old Saxon friund , Old Norse frǣndi , Gothic frijōnds , Old High German friunt

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. make friends with, to enter into friendly relations with; become a friend to.

More idioms and phrases containing friend

In addition to the idiom beginning with friend , also see fair-weather friend ; make friends .

Synonym Study

See acquaintance.

Example Sentences

“With heartfelt sorrow, we share the news of the passing of our beloved actor and friend,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m friends with Chad because we’re both signed to the same management company,” Smith says over drinks during a recent visit to Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

Shears went on to thank his family, friends, collaborators — and the show’s eponymous evangelist, whose life rights John and his husband, David Furnish, acquired 12 years ago.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms Riley's parents, roommates and other friends and family cried as the verdict was read, while Ibarra did not visibly react.

From BBC

"She had this amazing gift of becoming friends very, very fast with people. And they all fell in love with her," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• acquaintance
• ally
• associate
• buddy
• classmate
• colleague
• companion
• cousin
• partner
• roommate

How Do You Spell Friend?

Spelling tips for friend

The word friend is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it sounds like [ frend ], making it easy to miss the i. Second, even if you know there is an i, it can be difficult to remember the order of the i and the e.

How to spell friend: To remember that friend has an i in it, think of the phrase “I see my friends on Friday.” Both friend and Friday begin fri-. If you remember that friend has an i in it, but just can’t remember where it goes, keep in mind the classic mnemonic device “I before E, except after C.”