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

Friends tell him he needs to take a vacation once in a while, he says, but he has no interest.

From Los Angeles Times

Friends, alerted by his message, quickly asked her to disconnect his modem, freeing him from their grip.

From BBC

He now has a popular podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.

From BBC

It adds: “Invited to pose for a photo with lovely peaceful British Friends of Israel on Saturday police refused. Look at this lot smiling with the Jew haters.”

From BBC

"A Fox & Friends weekend co-host is not qualified to be the Secretary of Defense," said Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who leads the Senate military personnel panel.

From BBC

Related Words

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