companion
1 Americannoun
-
a person who is frequently in the company of, associates with, or accompanies another.
my son and his two companions.
-
a person employed to accompany, assist, or live with another in the capacity of a helpful friend.
-
a mate or match for something.
White wine is the usual companion of fish.
-
a handbook or guide.
a bird watcher's companion.
-
a member of the lowest rank in an order of knighthood or of a grade in an order.
-
Also called companion star, comes. Astronomy. the fainter of the two stars that constitute a double star.
-
Obsolete. a fellow.
verb (used with object)
-
companions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
companioned,
past participle, past
-
companioning
present participle
noun
-
a person who is an associate of another or others; comrade
-
(esp formerly) an employee, usually a woman, who provides company for an employer, esp an elderly woman
-
-
one of a pair; match
-
( as modifier )
a companion volume
-
-
a guidebook or handbook
-
a member of the lowest rank of any of certain orders of knighthood
-
astronomy the fainter of the two components of a double star
verb
noun
Usage
What does companion mean? A companion is a person who frequently spends time with you, associates with you, or accompanies you when you go places. Pets are also commonly considered companions. The word companion implies that you spend a lot of time together. A person you call a companion can be a friend or a romantic partner. A travel companion is someone you travel with. Companionship is the state of spending time with someone or having someone to spend time with—the state of having a companion or being someone’s companion. Sometimes, a hired helper is called a companion, especially when they help to take care of an older person. Companion is sometimes also used to refer to a thing that accompanies or complements something else, such as in the phrase companion piece, which often refers to an artistic work that pairs well with another work. More specifically, a companion refers to a handbook, guidebook, or field guide (the word is especially used in the titles of such books). In astronomy, companion is used in a more specific way to refer to a companion star—the less bright star in a set of stars called a double star. (The brighter star is called the primary.)Example: People make fun of older people for using dating sites, but the truth is that a lot of them are just lonely and looking for a companion.
Synonym Usage
See acquaintance.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
companionsimple
-
companionssimple
-
have companionedperfect
-
has companionedperfect
-
am companioningprogressive
-
are companioningprogressive
-
is companioningprogressive
-
have been companioningperfect progressive
-
has been companioningperfect progressive
Past
-
companionedsimple
-
had companionedperfect
-
was companioningprogressive
-
were companioningprogressive
-
had been companioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of companion1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English compainoun, from Anglo-French; Old French compaignon, from Late Latin compāniōn- (stem of compāniō ) “messmate,” equivalent to com- “with, together” + pān(is) “bread” + -iōn- noun suffix; presumably as translation of a Germanic word; compare Gothic gahlaiba, Old High German galeipo; see com-, -ion
Origin of companion2
First recorded in 1730–40; alteration of Dutch kampanje “quarterdeck,” possibly from Italian compagna “pantry (of a ship)”
Explanation
A companion is one who serves as a friend or partner in something. Whether it’s travel or dinner or card-playing, your companion is the one who does it with you. The word companion is a close, um, companion to the word company, and you might as well say that someone you keep company with is your companion. Sometimes, it describes a piece of art or other work that goes with another. For instance, you might read a biography of Emily Dickenson as a companion to her studying her poems. The things go together and complement each other.
Vocabulary lists containing companion
Dog Vocabulary: A Canine Lexicon
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Of Mice and Men"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
On the heels of the death of his longtime mate Jackie, bald eagle Shadow has been perching, singing and lounging at his Big Bear nest with a new companion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
"Gentlemen, stop screwing around and get over here to help your brothers gear up the parachute. Find yourself a good-looking life companion and get to work," he shouted.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Closing some pet-specialty stores, fine-tuning pet-food options and enhancing services for companion animals, all changes in the works, should help, they said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
A recently published companion study provides additional support for the findings.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
There, at a charming table for two, with her only companion being the thin plume of steam that rose lazily from the teapot before her, sat Miss Charlotte Mortimer.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
A New England frontiersman and ‘49er called “Grizzly Adams” — a name we likely know from a 1970s television show — tamed and trained a couple of young grizzlies as his companions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Cuaya and Hernández-Pérez also hope their findings will help show people to communicate more effectively with their own beloved canine companions.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
One approached insistently and said he was 14 years old and had come alone with no adults or older companions to accompany him.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
For dog owners, the aging of their four-legged companions has long been seen as something to manage as the physical and cognitive impacts become apparent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
At first light, as the companions began their journey again, Taran spoke of his dreams to Eilonwy.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
It should be companioned with a key and a glossary like the Berlitz books.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2021
He sat at the end of the table companioned only by his wife, the conservative journalist Barbara Amiel.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 1, 2016
"All I want is for people, when they read my books, to feel companioned, to feel they're not alone in the world," she says.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 16, 2013
Jonah the prophet lived in the desert, daily companioned by such birds and beasts as lions, mice, gazelles and ravens, lying down at night with the gentle foxes of Tob.
From Time Magazine Archive
Indeed, he felt so companioned there that sometimes he looked up suddenly to see who was watching his efforts to resurrect a neglected rosebush; or to uproot a flourishing patch of poison ivy.
From Out of the Air by Inez Haynes Gillmore
We repeated the “soft words” over and over, companioning them with “O they banish our anger forever When they laurel the graves of our dead.”
From The Brothers' War by John Calvin Reed
What a noble countenance! at once austere and gracious—haughty and benign—of a man conscious of his greatness while yet companioning with the humble—an unrecognised power dwelling in the woods.
From Recreations of Christopher North, Volume I (of 2) by John Lyde Wilson
In His personal aspect He is the "beloved Fakir," teaching and companioning each soul.
From Songs of Kabir by Rabindranath Tagore
Neither Ellaline nor Emily had suggested companioning me, and though I must say I had thought of proposing it to Ellaline, I hadn't found the courage.
From Set in Silver by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson
If all of us sincerely and practically united in trusting and companioning them,—so sincerely as to convince them of the fact—I would have small misgivings.
From The Subterranean Brotherhood by Julian Hawthorne
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.
