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friend

Syllabification: (friend)
Pronunciation: /frend/
Translate friend | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of friend

noun

  • 1a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.
  • a person who acts as a supporter of a cause, organization, or country by giving financial or other help:join the Friends of Guilford Free Library
  • a person who is not an enemy or who is on the same side:she was unsure whether he was friend or foe
  • a familiar or helpful thing:he settled for that old friend the compensation grant
  • (often as a polite form of address or in ironic reference) an acquaintance or a stranger one comes across:my friends, let me introduce myself
  • a contact associated with a social networking website:all of a sudden you’ve got 50 friends online who need to stay connected
  • 2 (Friend) a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

verb

[with object]
  • 1add (someone) to a list of contacts associated with a social networking website:I am friended by 29 people who I have not friended back
  • 2 archaic befriend (someone).

Phrases

be (or make) friends with

be (or become) on good or affectionate terms with (someone).

a friend at court

a person in a position to use their influence on one’s behalf.

a friend in need is a friend indeed

proverb a person who helps at a difficult time is a truly reliable person.

friends in high places

people in senior positions who are able and willing to use their influence on one’s behalf.

Origin:

Old English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning 'to love', shared by free

Spell friend with -ie- in the middle.

friend in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of friend in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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