best friend
Americannoun
-
best friends
plural
-
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.
Lori Bakker described her late husband as "my best friend, and the man I was honoured to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
This is right from the comics, but Hal’s best friend, his mentor, the person who trained him, betrayed everything he trusted and Hal had to put him away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
She’s my best friend, and I’m the happiest I have ever been when I’m with her, but I have also never felt so supported and safe, ever.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
He doesn’t carry a U.S. passport, but he believes America is the best friend the Chinese people have.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Her best friend found it while borrowing some markers.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
