friendship
Americannoun
-
the state of being a friend; association as friends.
to value a person's friendship.
-
a friendly relation or intimacy.
- Synonyms:
- rapport, understanding, accord, harmony
-
friendly feeling or disposition.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of friendship
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English frēondscipe, equivalent to friend + -ship
Explanation
Friendship is the state of being friends with someone. A good job, good health, and romantic love are important, but without real friendship, your life might not feel full. When we talk about friendship, we're often talking about the value of having friends, not just the fact of it. A book might explore the importance of friendship in a young girl's life. You might decide to stop working such long hours and spend more time developing your friendships, in an effort to lead a happier life. A deep friendship can last through many shifts and changes in life, as long as you write or call every now and then.
Vocabulary lists containing friendship
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Encounter"
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Relationships
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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.
See Examples For:
I had stepped back from the friendship because of the turmoil surrounding that relationship, but I was still curious.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
"We've created a place where people who often feel like they don't belong can find friendship, acceptance, and a sense of home," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
US President Donald Trump confirmed the concerted action aboard Air Force One on Sunday Washington time, calling it a "signal of friendship" with Japan and "good for the world economy".
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Skidelsky demonstrates that Keynes’s desire to enable more people to experience the higher goods identified by Moore, such as friendship and aesthetic enjoyment, inclined Keynes to approach economics as “an end-satisfying system.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
And then too much time will pass, and I’ll start to worry that I ruined our friendship.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Yet as “Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea” at the Cape Ann Museum reveals, their friendships, their summers and their mutual admiration critically influenced their artistic paths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Insomnia and mania began to set in - and that triggered him, he says, to "burn down" everything he had built - his marriage, his friendships, and his business.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Across social media, attachment styles are used to reassess friendships, make sense of family tensions or rule out potential partners.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
A spokesman for the Lutheran Church said: “Sunday creates space for family, friendships, neighbors and volunteering.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Maybe even the best friendships are like that.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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.
