friend

friend — noun

1. someone whose company you enjoy and who enjoys yours as well — a friend is typic

1.nounA1
Definition

someone whose company you enjoy and who enjoys yours as well — a friend is typically outside your immediate family

Example

Ryo and Aarav have been close friends since they started primary school together.

collocation: close friends

Lara invited her best friend to stay at her house during the summer holidays.

collocation: best friend

Common collocations
  • close friend
  • best friend
  • old friend
  • childhood friend
  • family friend
  • make friends
  • become friends
Synonyms
  • buddy

    informal, used mainly in American English for a close male friend

  • pal

    informal, common in British English, suggests casual friendship

  • mate

    informal, used in British, Australian, and New Zealand English

  • companion

    more formal; suggests spending time together during a shared activity

Antonyms
  • enemy

    someone who dislikes you and may try to harm you

  • stranger

    someone you do not know at all

Common Mistakes

She's a friend of me.
She's a friend of mine.
after 'a friend of', use the possessive pronoun 'mine', not 'me'.
I have a friend which lives in Taipei.
I have a friend who lives in Taipei.
use 'who' (not 'which') when talking about people.

2. a person, group, or country that helps and supports you in difficult times and t

2.nounB2
Definition

a person, group, or country that helps and supports you in difficult times and that you can trust to be on your side

Example

The old judge proved a true friend to the orphan children in court.

pattern: a true friend to [someone]

Germany found a powerful friend in France when rebuilding trade after the war.

pattern: found a friend in [someone]

Common collocations
  • true friend
  • loyal friend
  • friend in need
  • friend to
Synonyms
  • ally

    more formal, especially used for countries or political groups in a partnership

  • supporter

    someone who backs you, though not necessarily a close personal friend

Antonyms
  • enemy

    a person or group that opposes or fights against you

  • opponent

    someone who is on the opposite side in a competition or conflict

Usage Note

Commonly used to describe supportive relationships between countries, organizations, or groups rather than individuals.

Common Mistakes

Germany and France are best friends.
Germany and France are allies.
'best friend' is only for personal relationships between people.

3. a person who regularly gives money or time to help a charity, arts organization,

3.nounB2
Definition

a person who regularly gives money or time to help a charity, arts organization, or political cause they believe in

Example

Quinn became a Friend of the local theatre and helps raise money for new shows.

capitalized: Friend of [organization]

Dr. Kemi donates to the charity every year as a loyal friend of the organization.

pattern: a [adjective] friend of [organization]

Common collocations
  • Friend of the Library
  • Friend of the museum
  • loyal friend
  • generous friend
Synonyms
  • supporter

    more general; can refer to backing a person, team, or idea, not just with money

  • donor

    specifically someone who gives money, not necessarily emotionally invested

  • benefactor

    formal; someone who gives money or help, often in large amounts

Antonyms
  • opponent

    someone who is against the cause or organization

Usage Note

Often capitalized as 'Friend' when used as a formal membership title for donors or supporters of a specific institution (e.g. Friends of the Library).

Common Mistakes

She is a friend of animal rights.
She is a supporter of animal rights.
use 'supporter' when referring to an idea or cause, not a person.

4. someone who belongs to the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian faith whose

4.nounC1
Definition

someone who belongs to the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian faith whose followers advocate peace, equality, and simple living

Example

The local Friends meeting house welcomes anyone who wants to sit in quiet thought.

capitalized: Friends meeting house

Christopher's grandmother was a Friend and taught him about peace and equality.

capitalized: Friend (member of Quaker church)

Common collocations
  • Society of Friends
  • Friends meeting house
  • Quaker
Synonyms
  • Quaker

    the more widely used term for members of this group; slightly informal

Usage Note

Usually capitalized as 'Friend' in formal writing. The official name of the church is the Religious Society of Friends. 'Quaker' is a more widely known but informal label.

5. a contact in your list on a social networking platform such as Facebook, Instagr

5.nounB1
Definition

a contact in your list on a social networking platform such as Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn

Example

Jiwoo has over eight hundred friends on her social media account.

collocation: friends on [platform]

Joaquín checked his friend list and saw a request from an old classmate.

collocation: friend list

Common collocations
  • friend list
  • friend request
  • close friends
  • Facebook friend
  • mutual friends
Synonyms
  • contact

    more neutral; less personal than 'friend', used on LinkedIn and professional networks

  • follower

    someone who follows your public posts without necessarily being connected directly

Usage Note

A social media 'friend' may be someone you have never met in person. The number of online friends can reach hundreds or thousands, unlike real-life friendships.

Common Mistakes

I have 500 real friends.
I have 500 online friends.
clarify whether you mean real-life friends or social media contacts, as the numbers can be very different.
Idioms

make friends

idiom

to start a friendly relationship with someone new so that you become friends with them

Jiwoo found it easy to make friends at her new school because she joined the art club.

Moving to a new city can be hard when you have not made any friends yet.

be friends with

idiom

to have a friendly relationship with someone

Ryo is still friends with his classmates from university even after ten years.

Are you friends with anyone in the cooking class that we just joined?

a friend in need (is a friend indeed)

idiom

someone who helps you when you are having problems is a true friend — the full proverb emphasizes that real friendship shows during hard times

When Tamar lost her job, Lara helped her look for new work every day — a true friend in need.

My grandfather always told me that a friend in need is a friend indeed, and now I understand why.

be (just) good friends

idiom

This phrase means two people are friends but not in a romantic relationship.

Mia and Tom are just good friends, not boyfriend and girlfriend.

After their breakup, they decided to be just good friends.

have friends in high places

idiom

This means knowing important or powerful people who can give you advantages.

Sara got the job because she has friends in high places.

How did Diego get that contract? He must have friends in high places.

make friends (with somebody)

idiom

This means to start a friendly relationship with someone.

Aiden made friends with his new neighbor at the park.

It is easy for Maya to make friends at school.

man’s best friend

idiom

This is a common phrase used to describe dogs as loyal companions to humans.

My dog Max is truly man's best friend.

Many people consider dogs to be man's best friend.

friend — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Friend is the most general and neutral word for someone you know and like. Buddy and pal are both informal: buddy is common in American English for a close male friend, while pal is more frequent in British English and suggests a casual, easy-going relationship. Mate is widely used in British, Australian, and New Zealand English for a friend, often male, and is roughly equivalent to 'buddy' in tone. Companion is more formal and emphasizes spending time together during a shared activity (travel companion, dinner companion) rather than an emotional bond. Acquaintance refers to someone you know slightly but are not close to — it is NOT a synonym for friend. For example: 'I made a good friend at my new job' suggests a close bond, whereas 'I ran into an old acquaintance at the mall' means someone you know casually, not a real friend.

buddy ↗pal ↗mate ↗companion ↗acquaintance

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Friend comes from Old English 'freond', which meant 'one who loves' or 'a lover'. This word is related to the Old English verb 'frēogan' (to love, to set free). Both trace back to a Proto-Germanic root *frijōnd- ('lover, friend'), which is linked to the idea of loving or caring for someone. In early Germanic cultures, friendship was understood as a relationship among free people — the same root also gave rise to the word 'free'. Related words in modern Germanic languages include German 'Freund' and Dutch 'vriend'.