friendship
Americannoun
-
friendships
plural
-
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:
Sorkin was specifically inspired when he learned how Haugen’s concerns about social media’s impact were shaped by losing a friendship with someone who had become interested in radical viewpoints online.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
For the actors it was also an opportunity to reflect on the importance of friendship, and to share stories from behind the wheel.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
O’Brien and Flatley married in Ireland in 2006 after years of friendship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Do you have questions about inheritance, financial literacy or etiquette, estate planning, friendship, divorce, or other tricky money issues relating to family and friends?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
“The world is moving away from military ideals,” declared the influential British journal Review of Reviews, “and a period of peace, industry, and world-wide friendship is dawning.”
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
We often shorthand alliances as friendships, but they’re usually built less on comity and more on mutual necessity.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
That doesn’t necessarily mean this new social norm of having to text before you call has serious consequences, or that phone calls are the only way to maintain friendships.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
And there are two kinds of toxic friendships: one that is transactional and one that is based in trauma.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
“Genuine friendships will survive any kind of rift,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
In less than six months, I’d managed to wreck both of my closest friendships.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
