befriend

verb

be·friend | \ bi-ˈfrend

How to pronounce befriend (audio)

\

befriended; befriending; befriends

Definition of befriend

transitive verb

: to become or act as a friend to befriended the new student

Examples of befriend in a Sentence

He befriended the new student.

Recent Examples on the Web Kaiser also discovers that a small army of wonderfully quirky Nazi-treasure hunters wants to befriend him. — Terry W. Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, "The road to reclaiming Jewish property rarely runs smoothly," 15 Mar. 2021 Taylor is the wife of a flamboyant drug dealer that the Flenory brothers befriend. — Haley Bosselman, chicagotribune.com, "Snoop Dogg, La La Anthony, Serayah join 50 Cent’s ‘Black Mafia Family’ series at Starz," 11 Mar. 2021 Smith has been accused of remaking history; her show, in which Massachusetts élites befriend Black characters and revel in Black culture, risks falsifying the past. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "Alena Smith’s Subversive “Dickinson”," 25 Feb. 2021 After Davidson plays a pitch-perfect unapologetic Cuomo, Cruz’s character tries to befriend Cuomo. — Matt Young, Chron, "How 'Saturday Night Live' skewered Ted Cruz's Cancun trip," 21 Feb. 2021 Akers says the first scout leader to befriend and abuse him never did. — Tim Prudente, Washington Post, "Maryland men tell their stories of child sexual abuse amid Boy Scouts’ bankruptcy claim," 18 Nov. 2020 In the film, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and Bob (Bill Murray) befriend one another in Tokyo while both suffering from insomnia in the same hotel. — Marianne Eloise, Vulture, "11 Valentine’s Day Movies for Sad People," 12 Feb. 2021 Akers says the first scout leader to befriend and abuse him never did. — Tim Prudente, Washington Post, "Maryland men tell their stories of child sexual abuse amid Boy Scouts’ bankruptcy claim," 18 Nov. 2020 How did Katie — who was raised in the Rockies, has plans to work at an environmental law firm and can’t stop noting that New York City is a world away from her life — befriend not one, but two Fox News hosts? — Washington Post, "Fox Nation’s first original Christmas movie feels like every other cozy, Christmas movie — with one exception," 24 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'befriend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

31 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Befriend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/befriend. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for befriend

befriend

verb

English Language Learners Definition of befriend

: to become a friend to (someone)

See the full definition for befriend in the English Language Learners Dictionary

befriend

verb

be·friend | \ bi-ˈfrend

\

befriended; befriending

Kids Definition of befriend

: to act as a friend to We befriended the new student.

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