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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
It's not the first time the cattle-farming politician has fallen foul of man's best friend -- he once threatened to kill Johnny Depp's dogs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
That one's a co-write with her best friend, the pop singer Audrey Hobert – which makes you wonder what Abrams could do if she broke away from Dessner's muted production style.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Gerry’s best friend was a Catholic priest known as Father Dan, a bland-seeming cleric whose family is connected to organized crime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Jamie taught me what a best friend was,” said second baseman Richie Greenberg, another Feeney progenitor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
She’s been my best friend for years—she’s basically my sister—and I don’t know her last name.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
