Synonyms

befriend

American

[bih-frend] / bɪˈfrɛnd /

verb (used with object)

to make friends or become friendly with; act as a friend to; help; aid.

to befriend the lonely and the disregarded.

Synonyms:

welcome, succor, sustain, encourage, assist, associate, ally

befriend British

/ bɪˈfrɛnd /

verb

(tr) to be a friend to; assist; favour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unbefriended adjective

Etymology

Origin of befriend

First recorded in 1550–60; be- + friend

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.

In a similar leap, Jimmy and Alice forgive and befriend Goldstein’s Louis, the man who crashed his car into Tia’s and killed her.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

Ninety-five percent said they would help peers who were feeling down, and nearly 90% wanted to befriend students they didn’t know.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Reserved as he was, Foster found it easy to befriend the middle-school boy who dutifully slipped on rubber gloves to pick up jockstraps and jerseys.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2025

Don’t befriend or feed strays in your neighborhood that could be carriers of the infected fleas.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025

She didn’t want to tell him she was on her way to befriend the Nightingale.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023