companion
1 Americannoun
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a person who is frequently in the company of, associates with, or accompanies another.
my son and his two companions.
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a person employed to accompany, assist, or live with another in the capacity of a helpful friend.
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a mate or match for something.
White wine is the usual companion of fish.
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a handbook or guide.
a bird watcher's companion.
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a member of the lowest rank in an order of knighthood or of a grade in an order.
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Also called companion star, comes. Astronomy. the fainter of the two stars that constitute a double star.
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Obsolete. a fellow.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a person who is an associate of another or others; comrade
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(esp formerly) an employee, usually a woman, who provides company for an employer, esp an elderly woman
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one of a pair; match
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( as modifier )
a companion volume
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a guidebook or handbook
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a member of the lowest rank of any of certain orders of knighthood
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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
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companionsimple
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companionssimple
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have companionedperfect
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has companionedperfect
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am companioningprogressive
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are companioningprogressive
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is companioningprogressive
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have been companioningperfect progressive
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has been companioningperfect progressive
Past
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companionedsimple
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had companionedperfect
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was companioningprogressive
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were companioningprogressive
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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
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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:
Google's wildly popular NotebookLM -- recently rebranded as Gemini Notebook -- doesn't screen for copyright either, and neither does BookWorm AI, a ChatGPT-based tool that calls itself a "book companion."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
In some binary systems, repeated kicks to a dying red giant could alter its orbit enough to send it crashing into its companion.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Following a check-up by a vet, Oyster was given a clean bill of health and has been transferred to a sanctuary where she will be introduced to a male companion.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
He rises and falls at the same pace as his companion in this nightmare, laying the groundwork on which Adjani can create something so enormous.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Everyone went silent as Gran's rooster companion, Paon, marched in from the gallery porch and crowed.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
The difference between our two favorite animal companions begins in the eyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Roa and his companions initially crawled and then cut a hole to reach the site.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Visibly exhausted, Ronnie looks at his companions who continue to remove debris.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Choking and sighing to himself, Gwystyl then led the companions through a damp-smelling passageway.
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
A creature like Toad is not a tree, but is designed to move across earth's surface, perpendicular to gravity and companioned by time.
From Time Magazine Archive
And so in a week or less I shall start, unusually tailor-made, for South Germany and all that jolly country, companioned and maided.
From The Passionate Friends by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
It was made up of four deep, parallel ruts, the two outermost eroded by years of journeying cart-wheels, the inner ones worn by the companioning hoofs of many a yoke of oxen.
From Earth's Enigmas A Volume of Stories by Roberts, Charles George Douglas, Sir
Once at the fort, companioning with De Baugis, and 305 with no one to deny the truth of his words, his very nature would compel him to boast of his marriage to Adele la Chesnayne.
From Beyond the Frontier A Romance of Early Days in the Middle West by Parrish, Randall
Some take the words "which followed them" to mean that the spiritual rock accompanied the children of Israel, companioning with them—"comitante petra," not "petra consequente," Christ being spiritually present in the word and by faith.
From Epistle Sermons, Vol. II Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost by Lenker, John Nicholas
She chattered away, these last few precious moments, as merrily as if Timothy were companioning the adventure of this trip to Lewisburg, but he found no tongue to reply.
From The Heart of Arethusa by Fox, Frances Barton
My own toy fawn pugs loved their comforts too much to be perfect dogs for companioning a person of active outdoor habits, but they were sweet-tempered, gentle things, and, as such, to be commended.
From A Manual of Toy Dogs How to breed, rear, and feed them by Williams, Mrs. Leslie
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.
