friend

[frend]

noun

1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

   Synonyms: confidant, crony, chum, comrade
   Antonyms: foe, enemy

2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter

   friends of the Boston Symphony.

   Synonyms: advocate, backer

3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile.

   Who goes there? Friend or foe?

4. a member of the same nation, party, etc.

   Synonyms: compatriot, confrere, associate, ally
   Antonyms: foe, enemy

5. Friend, a member of the Society of Friends; a Quaker.

   The religious practices of Friends are founded in direct communion with God.

6. a person associated with another as a contact on a social media website.

   We've never met, but we're Facebook friends.

verb (used with object)

1. Rare.,  to befriend.

2. to add (a person) to one's list of contacts on a social media website.

   I just friended a couple of guys in my class.

friend

¹

/ frɛnd /

noun

1. a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty; an intimate

2. an acquaintance or associate

3. an ally in a fight or cause; supporter

4. a fellow member of a party, society, etc

5. a patron or supporter

   a friend of the opera

6. to be friendly (with)

7. to become friendly (with)

verb

1. (tr) an archaic word for befriend

Friend

²

/ frɛnd /

noun

1. a member of the Religious Society of Friends; Quaker

Friend

³

/ frɛnd /

noun

1. mountaineering a device consisting of a shaft with double-headed spring-loaded cams that can be wedged in a crack to provide an anchor point

Other Word Forms

• friendship noun
• friendless adjective
• friendlessness noun
• nonfriend noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of friend¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English friend, frend, Old English frēond “friend, lover, relative” (cognate with Old Saxon friund, Old High German friunt ( German Freund ), Gothic frijōnds ), originally the present participle of frēogan, cognate with Gothic frijōn “to love”

Word History and Origins

Origin of friend¹

Old English frēond ; related to Old Saxon friund , Old Norse frǣndi , Gothic frijōnds , Old High German friunt

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. make friends with, to enter into friendly relations with; become a friend to.

More idioms and phrases containing friend

• fair-weather friend
• make friends

Synonym Study

See acquaintance.

Example Sentences

Paul Scott, chief executive EPUT, said: "My thoughts are with Colin's family and friends and I am deeply sorry for failings in his care."

Read more on BBC

That’s why friends who grew up in households struggling to make ends meet report processed powder-based mac and cheese being a regular sight at dinnertime.

Read more on Salon

"Spo is not only an outstanding coach, but a great colleague, friend and father, all of which make him the perfect choice to continue the USA Basketball men's national team coaching legacy through 2028."

Read more on Barron's

A second grenade exploded, throwing five of his friends to the floor, gravely injured.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It happened to Julia who was on a train with a friend from Bedford to London when she received unwanted attention from a group of men.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• acquaintance 
• ally 
• associate 
• buddy 
• classmate 
• colleague 
• companion 
• cousin 
• partner 
• roommate 

When To Use

Spelling tips for friend

The word friend is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it sounds like [ frend ], making it easy to miss the i. Second, even if you know there is an i, it can be difficult to remember the order of the i and the e.How to spell friend: To remember that friend has an i in it, think of the phrase "I see my friends on Friday." Both friend and Friday begin fri-. If you remember that friend has an i in it, but just can't remember where it goes, keep in mind the classic mnemonic device "I before E, except after C."