best friend

[ best frend ]

noun

1. a person’s closest or most cherished friend:

   Sheila has been my best friend since we were seven.

   Synonyms: bosom friend, bosom buddy, bff, bf, bestie

2. something that a person particularly depends on or has a special affection for:

   A purple, stuffed armadillo was my best friend and companion through my whole childhood.

3. something considered or suggested to be particularly useful or valuable:

   When it comes to saving for retirement, compound interest is your new best friend.

   Your local piano tuner could be your best friend when buying a piano.

Word History and Origins

Origin of best friend¹

First recorded before 1000

Example Sentences

Some of Robinson’s favorite times in the NFL were working as a second set of football eyes to his best friend and iconic broadcaster, John Madden, when the two would tour the country in the Madden Cruiser.

From Los Angeles Times

“Keke is constantly reframing stories and making them work for her, as opposed to her being a victim in them,” says Nora Addison, Palmer’s best friend and a founding partner at KeyTV.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of Hernández’s everyday boyfriend qualities can be seen in sketches like the viral “Bridesmaids Speech” sketch that features an off-tune Ariana Grande, singing a speech to her best friend to the tune of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”

From Salon

Timmy is an accepted member of the class: he fails to complete homework, faces adversity and causes trouble with his disabled best friend Jimmy.

From BBC

While she was away on her That’s My Best Friend Tour in September, LaPaglia said, Bryan abruptly shifted from talking about their future together to saying, “I can’t do this anymore.”

From Los Angeles Times