friend
noun /frend/
/frend/
Idioms - 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?
- Jane's a friend of the family.
- She's an old friend (= I have known her a long time).
- He's one of my best friends.
- a close/good/dear friend
- a childhood/family/longtime friend
- We've been friends for years.
- They had a quarrel, but they're friends again now.
- to become/remain friends
- as a friend I'm asking you as a friend not to tell anyone.
- She wanted to share the news with family and friends.
- She has a wide circle of friends.
- I heard about it through a friend of a friend.
Wordfinder- acquaintance
- bond
- buddy
- companion
- comrade
- friend
- mate
- neighbour
- platonic
- playmate
Extra ExamplesTopics Family and relationshipsa1- We met at school and became lifelong friends.
- My ideal Saturday night is dinner with friends.
- We invited friends and neighbours to celebrate with us.
- I hope we can remain friends.
- She's gone out to meet friends.
- I saw her out with a group of friends.
- Tom is travelling/traveling with some friends from university.
- Paul and Sue are family friends—I've known them all my life.
- Why don't you ask your friends at work to help?
- If you like our products, tell your friends.
- We're visiting friends this weekend.
- He's gone to stay with a friend in London.
- He has a lot of friends.
- Does your sister have any single friends?
- Even his own friends don't believe him.
- He was last seen leaving a restaurant with a female friend.
- He asked a few of his male friends what they thought.
- Can I bring a friend?
- She's lost friends because of her brutal honesty.
- He won't win any friends if he carries on talking like that.
- Her best friend at school was called Anna.
- He married his old school friend.
- I'm inviting only my closest friends to the party.
- It was so relaxing to be among old friends.
- My so-called friends are making fun of me because of my weight.
- We met each other through a mutual friend.
- If you need a friend, just call me.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- best
- bosom
- close
- …
- become
- remain
- stay
- …
- friend from
- a circle of friends
- a group of friends
- a friend of a friend
- …
- a person you communicate with on social media
- How many friends have you got on Facebook?
- Facebook friends
- Frienda 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.
- a person who has the same interests and opinions as yourself, and who will help and support you
- His eyes were moving from face to face: friend or foe?
- among friends You're among friends here—you can speak freely.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- best
- bosom
- close
- …
- become
- remain
- stay
- …
- friend from
- a circle of friends
- a group of friends
- a friend of a friend
- …
- (often ironic) used to talk about or to somebody that you meet who is not actually a friend
- I wish our friend at the next table would shut up.
- My friends, let me introduce myself.
- (in the UK) 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)
- Frienda member of the Society of Friends synonym Quaker see also flexible friend
person you like
on the internet
supporter
not enemy
person that you meet/speak to
in parliament/court
in religion
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.
Idioms
be (just) good friends
- 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.
a friend in need (is a friend indeed)
- (saying) a friend who gives you help when you need it (is a true friend)
have friends in high places
- to know important people who can help you
- ‘How did he get promoted so quickly?’ ‘Oh, he has friends in high places.’
make friends (with somebody)
- to become a friend of somebody
- Simon finds it hard to make friends with other children.
man’s best friend
- a way of describing a dog