best friend

American  

[best frend] / ˈbɛst ˈfrɛnd /

noun

1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of best friend

First recorded before 1000

Example Sentences

Through tears, Bernie said: "She was my best friend and I don't know how do we go on without her. How do we go on?"

From BBC

Can one best friend be all you need?

From The Wall Street Journal

I looked for my best friend, Charlie Parr, but didn’t see him.

From Literature

It was impossible to tell whether Torak’s father had been his best friend or his deadliest enemy.

From Literature

As the nominations were announced, she woke up to celebratory shouting by her husband, a producer on The Perfect Neighbor, on the phone with her best friend who co-directed The Devil is Busy.

From BBC