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.
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.
Bird enthusiast and Sevidov's best friend, Vyacheslav Kaistro, did enlist.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
Making a strong case for the color version of the show, however, are the eye-catching suits and ties that television veteran and Emmy-winner Lamorne Morris wears as journalist Robbie Robertson, Ben’s best friend.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
TV presenter and mental health advocate Matt Johnson said the death of his dog was like losing his best friend and reason for getting up in the morning.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
But I didn’t find a French marriage — I found my best friend.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
She didn’t even tell Chizuko, her best friend.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
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.
