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definitions

befriend

[ bih-frend ]
/ bɪˈfrɛnd /
||
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verb (used with object)

to make friends or become friendly with; act as a friend to; help; aid: to befriend the poor and the weak.

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RELATED WORDS

advise, patronize, assist, help, uphold, welcome, back, favor, benefit, sustain, encourage, aid

Nearby words

  1. before you can say jack robinson,
  2. before you know it,
  3. beforehand,
  4. beforetime,
  5. befoul,
  6. befuddle,
  7. beg,
  8. beg off,
  9. beg the question,
  10. beg to differ

Origin of befriend

First recorded in 1550–60; be- + friend
Related formsun·be·friend·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for befriend

British Dictionary definitions for befriend

befriend

/ (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
Word Origin and History for befriend

befriend

v.

1550s, from be- + friend (q.v.). Related: Befriended; befriending.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper