- 1 a person you know well and like, and who is not usually a member of your family This is my friend Tom. Is he a friend of yours? She's an old friend (= I have known her a long time). He's one of my best friends. a close/good friend a childhood/family/lifelong friend I heard about it through a friend of a friend. She has a wide circle of friends. see also befriend, boyfriend, fair-weather, false friend, girlfriend, penfriend, school friend Wordfinderfriendacquaintance, bond, buddy, companion, comrade, friend, mate, neighbour, platonic, playmate Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebest, bosom, close, … verb + friendbecome, remain, stay, … prepositionfriend from phrasesa circle of friends, a group of friends, a friend of a friend, … See full entry See related entries: Friends on the Internet
- 2a person you communicate with on a social networking website How many friends have you got on Facebook? supporter
- 3a person who supports an organization, a charity, etc., especially by giving or raising money; a person who supports a particular idea, etc. the Friends of St Martin’s Hospital a friend of democracy Theatre tickets are 10% cheaper for Friends. See related entries: Helping others not enemy
- 4a person who has the same interests and opinions as yourself, and who will help and support you You're among friends here—you can speak freely. His eyes were moving from face to face: friend or foe? Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebest, bosom, close, … verb + friendbecome, remain, stay, … prepositionfriend from phrasesa circle of friends, a group of friends, a friend of a friend, … See full entry silly/annoying person
- 5(ironic) used to talk about somebody you do not know who has done something silly or annoying I wish our friend at the next table would shut up. in parliament/court
- 6(in Britain) used by a member of parliament to refer to another member of parliament or by a lawyer to refer to another lawyer in a court of law my honourable friend, the member for Henley (= in the House of Commons) my noble friend (= in the House of Lords) my learned friend (= in a court of law) in religion
- 7 Friend a member of the Society of Friends synonym Quaker Word OriginOld English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’, shared by free.Extra examples Does your sister have any single friends? Even his own friends don’t believe him. He finds it difficult to make friends. He introduced me to his circle of friends. He was last seen leaving a restaurant with a female friend. He won’t win any friends if he carries on talking like that. Her best friend at school was called Anna. I was given this necklace by a good friend of mine. I’m inviting only my closest friends to the party. If you need a friend, just call me. It was so relaxing to be among old friends. My so-called friends are making fun of me because of my weight. People he had trusted turned out to be only fair-weather friends. She doesn’t have many good friends. She’s made friends with the little girl who lives next door. They became friends after meeting at college. We met each other through a mutual friend. We stayed friends even after we grew up and left home. a friend from high school He’s one of my best friends. I heard about it through a friend of a friend. Is he a friend of yours? She has a wide circle of friends. She met up with some of her old school friends. She’s an old friend. a childhood/family/lifelong friendIdioms
person you like
to be/become a friend of somebody We've been friends for years. They had a quarrel, but they're friends again now. Simon finds it hard to make friends with other children.
used to say that two friends are not having a romantic relationship with each other They gradually got to know each other better but they remained just good friends.
(saying) a friend who gives you help when you need it (is a true friend)
to know important people who can help you ‘How did he get promoted so quickly?’ ‘Oh, he has friends in high places.’
a way of describing a dog
Check pronunciation: friend
