friend Hear it!

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friend definition

friend (frend)

noun

  1. a person whom one knows well and is fond of; intimate associate; close acquaintance
  2. a person on the same side in a struggle; one who is not an enemy or foe; ally
  3. a supporter or sympathizer a friend of labor
  4. something thought of as like a friend in being helpful, reliable, etc.
  5. any member of the Society of Friends; Quaker

Etymology: ME frend < OE freond, friend, lover, akin to Ger freund, prp. of Gmc *frijon, to love (> OE freon): for IE base see free

transitive verb

Archaic to act as a friend to; befriend

Related Forms:

friend Idioms

make (or be) friends with

to become (or be) a friend of

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms friend idiom

friend Synonyms

friend

n.

  1. A person with whom one has mutual attachment

    companion, intimate, confidant, comrade, familiar, schoolmate, playmate, best friend, close friend, roommate, bedfellow, fellow, fast friend, bosom friend, boon companion, mate, alter ego, other self, soul mate, crony*, buddy*, sidekick*, bosom buddy*, homeboy*, homegirl*. *

    Antonyms foe, enemy*, stranger. *

  2. An ally

    compatriot, confrere, colleague; see associate.

  3. A patron

    supporter, backer, advocate, sympathizer; see patron 1.

make friends with

befriend, strike up a friendship with, buddy up to*; see associate 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

friend Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • earth: In 2000 Friends of the Earth discovered a similar incident.

Converse of object

  • tell: I will be back to shop again and I have told friends and relatives about the great choice on offer on your website.

Adjective modifier

  • lifelong: The two women were sisters and the men, lifelong friends.

Noun used with modifier

  • first-toy: The soft and floppy new Cuddle Toys, great first-toy friends, feature Miles Monkey, Buster Bear and Bella Bunny.
  • save-the-day: Even super size friendly action hero Rocketpack Jack is getting a new save-the-day friend, Lightning Bolt Bud.
friend usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

friend quotes

  The world's best moment is a calm hour passed In listening to a friend who can talk well.

-Abu'l-'Ala¤   Al-Ma'arri

A friend in power is a friend lost.

-Adams, Henry Brooks

One friend in a lifetime ismuch; two are many; three are hardly possible.Friendship needs a certainparallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim.

-Adams, Henry Brooks

friend quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"friend." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/friend>

APA Style

friend. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/friend

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