Word family noun friend friendliness friendship friendly adjective friendly ≠ unfriendly friendless verb befriend
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfriendfriend1 /frend/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 1 person you likeFRIEND someone who you know and like very much and enjoy spending time with Jerry, this is my friend Sue. She’s always out with her friends. One of her closest friends died at the weekend. I met Jim through a friend.2 → be friends (with somebody)3 a) make friends to become friendly with people Jenny has always found it easy to make friends at school. b) make friends with somebody to become friendly with someone He made friends with an old fisherman.4 → be just (good) friends5 supporterGIVE someone who supports an organization such as a theatre, art gallery, charity etc by giving money or helpfriend of the Friends of the Tate6 not an enemyFRIEND someone who has the same beliefs, wants to achieve the same things etc as you, and will support you our friends and allies around the world She shot him a quick glance as if unsure whether he was friend or foe. Don’t worry, you’re among friends.7 someone who has created a link with you on a social networking site on the Internet, by visiting your webpage and clicking on it She has thousands of friends on MySpace. 8 parliament/court of law British English a) my honourable friend used by a member of parliament when speaking about another member of parliament b) my learned friend used by a lawyer when speaking about another lawyer in a court of law9 → be no friend of something10 → Friend11 → our/your friend12 → have friends in high places13 → a friend in need14 → be in the friend zoneCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + friendsomebody’s best friend (=the friend you like the most)Fiona was her best friend.a good/close friend (=one of the friends you like the most)She’s a good friend of mine.a dear friend (=a friend who is very important to you)I’d like you to meet a dear friend of mine.an old friend (=someone who has been your friend for a long time)We went to see some old friends who had moved to Harlow.a lifelong friend (=someone who has been your friend for the whole of your life)The two men were lifelong friends.a childhood friend (=someone who was your friend when you were a child)She had been a childhood friend of Tony Walker.a school friendI met some old school friends for lunch.a family friendHe’s visiting family friends.a personal friendMr Hutton is a close personal friend of my father.a mutual friend (=someone who is a friend of both you and someone else)They went to a mutual friend’s home for dinner.a firm friend (=a friend you like a lot and intend to keep)They had remained firm friends ever since they first met.a trusted friendShe told only a few trusted friends.male/female friendsMost of my male friends are married now.verbshave a friendSuzie has plenty of friends.become friendsLiz and Vanessa soon became friends.remain friendsWe have all remained friends despite some difficult times.phrasesa friend of mine/yours/Bill’s etcA friend of mine is going to Tokyo next week.a friend of a friendI managed to get tickets from a friend of a friend.somebody’s circle of friends (=all the friends someone has)Her small circle of friends used to play cards together. THESAURUSfriend someone who you know and like very much and enjoy spending time withDad, this is my friend Steve.She’s going to Palm Springs with some friends.I got a letter from a friend from college.Amy’s a close friend of mine.John was a really good friend to me when I had all those problems last year.acquaintance /əˈkweɪntəns/ someone who you know and see sometimes, but who is not one of your close friendsWe borrowed the money from one of Paul’s business acquaintances.mate British English informal a friend – used especially about boys or menHe always goes to the pub with his mates on Friday night.Terry’s an old mate of mine.buddy American English informal a friend – used especially about men or young peopleHe’s out playing basketball with some of his high school buddies.pal informal a friend – pal sounds rather old-fashionedThey met at school and have remained close pals.crony [usually plural] disapproving a friend – used about powerful people who will help each other even if it is slightly dishonestHe’s one of the president’s cronies.companion written someone who spends time with you, doing the same things as you – used about animals as well as peopletravelling companionsHis dog was his constant companion.the perfect companionthe girls informal a woman’s female friendsWe’re having a girls’ night out.the lads British English informal a man’s male friendsa night out with the lads Examples from the Corpus
friend• Friends, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of John and Beth.• I got a letter from a friend from college.• I'm going out for a drink with a friend of mine tonight.• The trouble started after friends tried to stop him driving because he'd been drinking.• Don't worry, you're among friends here.• The presence of a bodyguard was a constant reminder of the invisible veil which separated her from her family and friends.• Her parents spent weeks sleeping on a hospital floor, while her sister, Caroline was being cared for by friends.• And, you know, we all lost a good friend.• John was a really good friend to me when I had all those problems last year.• Dad, this is my friend Steve.• Jerry, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Lucinda.• The horse cropped at a leisurely pace through the flat Fenland countryside, Illingworth fretting while my friend gazed about calmly.• He flew to Phoenix to be with our friends in their time of suffering.• She's going to Palm Springs with some friends.• Who goes there? Friend or foe?• The three friends have printed 5,000 copies of the book, but refuse to say how much they spent.friend of• Carol is chairman of the Friends of the Library committee.FriendFriendRRCa member of the Society of Friends SYN Quaker → friendfriendfriend2 verb [transitive] to add someone to your list of friends on a social networking site I never friend someone I haven’t met in real life.FriendFriend noun a member of the Christian group called the Society of Friends; QuakerOrigin friend Old English freond 