companion
1 Americannoun
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a person who is frequently in the company of, associates with, or accompanies another.
my son and his two companions.
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a person employed to accompany, assist, or live with another in the capacity of a helpful friend.
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a mate or match for something.
White wine is the usual companion of fish.
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a handbook or guide.
a bird watcher's companion.
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a member of the lowest rank in an order of knighthood or of a grade in an order.
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Also called companion star, comes. Astronomy. the fainter of the two stars that constitute a double star.
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Obsolete. a fellow.
verb (used with object)
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companions,
present (3rd person singular)
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companioned,
past participle, past
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companioning
present participle
noun
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a person who is an associate of another or others; comrade
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(esp formerly) an employee, usually a woman, who provides company for an employer, esp an elderly woman
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one of a pair; match
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( as modifier )
a companion volume
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a guidebook or handbook
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a member of the lowest rank of any of certain orders of knighthood
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astronomy the fainter of the two components of a double star
verb
noun
Usage
What does companion mean? A companion is a person who frequently spends time with you, associates with you, or accompanies you when you go places. Pets are also commonly considered companions. The word companion implies that you spend a lot of time together. A person you call a companion can be a friend or a romantic partner. A travel companion is someone you travel with. Companionship is the state of spending time with someone or having someone to spend time with—the state of having a companion or being someone’s companion. Sometimes, a hired helper is called a companion, especially when they help to take care of an older person. Companion is sometimes also used to refer to a thing that accompanies or complements something else, such as in the phrase companion piece, which often refers to an artistic work that pairs well with another work. More specifically, a companion refers to a handbook, guidebook, or field guide (the word is especially used in the titles of such books). In astronomy, companion is used in a more specific way to refer to a companion star—the less bright star in a set of stars called a double star. (The brighter star is called the primary.)Example: People make fun of older people for using dating sites, but the truth is that a lot of them are just lonely and looking for a companion.
Synonym Usage
See acquaintance.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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companionsimple
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companionssimple
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have companionedperfect
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has companionedperfect
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am companioningprogressive
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are companioningprogressive
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is companioningprogressive
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have been companioningperfect progressive
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has been companioningperfect progressive
Past
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companionedsimple
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had companionedperfect
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was companioningprogressive
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were companioningprogressive
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had been companioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of companion1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English compainoun, from Anglo-French; Old French compaignon, from Late Latin compāniōn- (stem of compāniō ) “messmate,” equivalent to com- “with, together” + pān(is) “bread” + -iōn- noun suffix; presumably as translation of a Germanic word; compare Gothic gahlaiba, Old High German galeipo; see com-, -ion
Origin of companion2
First recorded in 1730–40; alteration of Dutch kampanje “quarterdeck,” possibly from Italian compagna “pantry (of a ship)”
Explanation
A companion is one who serves as a friend or partner in something. Whether it’s travel or dinner or card-playing, your companion is the one who does it with you. The word companion is a close, um, companion to the word company, and you might as well say that someone you keep company with is your companion. Sometimes, it describes a piece of art or other work that goes with another. For instance, you might read a biography of Emily Dickenson as a companion to her studying her poems. The things go together and complement each other.
Vocabulary lists containing companion
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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.
See Examples For:
The judge also claimed that Byrd and Roberts “outnumbered” Powers, failing to note that his 14-year-old companion was present and—according to witness testimony—armed during the confrontation.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
One explanation is that a large galaxy absorbed a smaller companion.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Australian authorities say that greyhounds arriving from New Zealand are classed as "companion animals" which will undergo screening for diseases such as rabies.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Once Kiki leaves her village with her constant companion Jiji, a talking cat, she sails through the skies, albeit insecurely.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Amy is more docile, will make a good companion for Flo, and receive gratefully any help the trip may give her.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
In the rainforests of South America and Southeast Asia, they became specialized hunting companions capable of following prey through thick vegetation and moving across difficult terrain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
One approached insistently and said he was 14 years old and had come alone with no adults or older companions to accompany him.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Most nearby red dwarfs have not yet been systematically examined for concealed white dwarf companions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
The four white dwarf stars in this "nearby region" of space each have larger and brighter red dwarf companions that had previously concealed them.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The black cat sprang out of Belet's arms and onto the marble stairs to join his half a dozen or so companions on the landing.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
It should be companioned with a key and a glossary like the Berlitz books.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2021
He sat at the end of the table companioned only by his wife, the conservative journalist Barbara Amiel.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 1, 2016
"All I want is for people, when they read my books, to feel companioned, to feel they're not alone in the world," she says.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 16, 2013
Jonah the prophet lived in the desert, daily companioned by such birds and beasts as lions, mice, gazelles and ravens, lying down at night with the gentle foxes of Tob.
From Time Magazine Archive
The wardsister companioned him round, and by the window stood four nurses at attention—the staff-nurse, the probationer, and two V.A.D.'s with red crosses on their aprons.
From Non-combatants and Others by Dame Rose Macaulay
If all of us sincerely and practically united in trusting and companioning them,—so sincerely as to convince them of the fact—I would have small misgivings.
From The Subterranean Brotherhood by Julian Hawthorne
Some take the words "which followed them" to mean that the spiritual rock accompanied the children of Israel, companioning with them—"comitante petra," not "petra consequente," Christ being spiritually present in the word and by faith.
From Epistle Sermons, Vol. II Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost by John Nicholas Lenker
The child seemed in her loneliness to reach out for companioning.
From The Convert by Elizabeth Robins
Things hadn’t gone very well with him that day and he had waited for Jane for a little companioning.
From Chicken Little Jane on the Big John by Lily Munsell Ritchie
My own toy fawn pugs loved their comforts too much to be perfect dogs for companioning a person of active outdoor habits, but they were sweet-tempered, gentle things, and, as such, to be commended.
From A Manual of Toy Dogs How to breed, rear, and feed them by Mrs. Leslie Williams
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.
