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.
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
She was my best friend, and her death in 2020 was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
Inspired by his late best friend, who was HIV-positive, the Wall represents to Zaldivar the power of remembering those in his community affected by HIV and AIDS.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026
Having a best friend at work, for example, is likely to increase your happiness.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026
“Obviously you rescue me. Unless—you’re my best friend, but am I your best friend?”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
