best friend
Americannoun
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
Etymology
Origin of best friend
First recorded before 1000
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Late in an important game, he put my best friend at second base and me in right field.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Freya, who turned 19 on the trip, was quick to catch a train to London to meet up with her best friend after tying up in Penzance harbour.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
“Call Up Nancy” is an anthem for anyone who’s ever had a ride-or-die best friend.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
“But at the same time, it’s literally just what my best friend and I say to each other when we’re calling each other idiots.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Sadako ran ahead to the house of her best friend, Chizuko.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
