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.
The director, Eden Wurmfeld, has been my best friend since we were 12 years old.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
Matty Belcher, Brandan Smith and their best friend Jack Carne had travelled from South Yorkshire to the mountains of north Wales for a weekend of camping and climbing.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Bird enthusiast and Sevidov's best friend, Vyacheslav Kaistro, did enlist.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
My best friend, Lucyann, lived across the street, and was a year younger.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
“For my best friend when I was a girl. This is my daughter, Valentina, and my name is Isabel.”
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
