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:
It’s a true ode to their friendship, the essence of the special.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Sometimes his friends would even dare him to tell a joke about buffalo wings, the kind of dares that can only be conceived by years of friendship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The film tells the story of a neglected young boy in 1980s Wales, looking for friendship and community when he meets a man living alone on a mountain.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
And drummer Billy Higgins, whose friendship with Mr. Lloyd began in the 1950s and culminated in a remarkable album of duets, “Which Way Is East,” recorded in 2001, four months before Higgins’s death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
I felt as if we were two small trees standing beside each other, leaning towards each other, our branches and twigs starting to entwine, bonded by our secret and by our growing friendship.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
"Humans are a very social species, so interacting via social media offered opportunities to alleviate boredom and join communities and develop friendships."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Join us on a time-travel adventure to the ’90s: If you’ve recently been paralyzed by choice or felt overconnected but underinvested in your friendships, Slate has an antidote for you.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Without those friendships, he pours himself into his crime-fighting work to stave off his loneliness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Since then, she said a community of swimmers and cold-water dippers has grown to more than 100 people and many friendships formed through a "shared love of the lake".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
In their rejection they had formed new friendships, a brotherhood of pain that they could interpret for no one, least of all themselves.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
