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friend

Pronunciation: /frɛnd/

Translate friend | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of friend

noun

  • 1a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations: she’s a friend of mine we were close friends
  • (used as a polite form of address or in ironic reference) an acquaintance or a stranger one comes across:my friends, let me introduce myself
  • (one's friends) archaic one’s close relatives.
  • a person who supports a cause, organization, or country by giving financial or other help:the Friends of the Welsh National Opera
  • a person who is not an enemy or opponent; an ally:she was unsure whether he was friend or foe
  • a familiar or helpful thing:he settled for that old friend the compensation grant
  • a contact on 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]
  • 1 informal add (someone) to a list of friends or contacts on a social networking website:I am friended by 29 people who I have not friended back
  • 2 archaic befriend (someone).
  • [no object] (friend with) black English have a sexual relationship with:the woman got married and you still used to friend with she?

Phrases

be (or make) friends with

be (or become) on good or affectionate terms with: Carrie wanted to be friends with everyone

be no friend of (or to)

show no support or sympathy for: he is no friend of the Republican Party the policy revealed itself as no friend to the utilities

a friend at court

a person in a position to use their influence on one’s behalf: I knew that it never hurt to have a friend at court

a friend in need is a friend indeed

proverb a person who helps at a difficult time is a person who you can really rely on: you are a friend in need, you are, Edie

friend with benefits

informal a friend with whom one has an occasional and casual sexual relationship.

friends in high places

people in senior positions who are able and willing to use their influence on one’s behalf: she had friends in high places everywhere

my honourable friend

British used to address or refer to another member of one’s own party in the House of Commons.

my learned friend

used by a barrister or solicitor in court to address or refer to another barrister or solicitor.

my noble friend

British used to address or refer to another member of one’s own party in the House of Lords.

my Right Honourable friend

British used to address or refer to another member of one’s own party in the House of Commons who is also a privy counsellor.

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

Spelling help

Spell friend with -ie- in the middle.

friend in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of friend in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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