as in joined
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriended
Nurses who had befriended the musician and his wife were sending videos to Cimorelli where Gilbert was waving with his left hand.
—
Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2026
There, the University of Texas graduate first met and befriended Nicholas Hope Wilkinson, who cast her in one of his plays.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Hsu had befriended the theatre’s in-house carpenter, Dan Hoffman, who has worked there for twenty-three years.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
According to her complaint, Cosby befriended her and invited her to the show.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026
One of their most memorable experiences happened when a Cadillac convertible stopped, and the driver who offered them a ride was the famous stripper, Candy Barr, who also befriended Jack Ruby.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2026
Working with those restaurants in the early days of owners Larry Foles’ and Guy Villavaso’s restaurant empire, Alexander befriended now-legendary chef Jack Gilmore.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
Three years ago, Waddle befriended 6-year-old cancer patient Rocco Passaro.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2026
There, she was befriended by comics Buddy Hackett, Red Buttons, Jack Carter and Joey Adams.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2026
There, the University of Texas graduate first met and befriended Nicholas Hope Wilkinson, who cast her in one of his plays.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Hsu had befriended the theatre’s in-house carpenter, Dan Hoffman, who has worked there for twenty-three years.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
According to her complaint, Cosby befriended her and invited her to the show.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026
One of their most memorable experiences happened when a Cadillac convertible stopped, and the driver who offered them a ride was the famous stripper, Candy Barr, who also befriended Jack Ruby.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2026
Working with those restaurants in the early days of owners Larry Foles’ and Guy Villavaso’s restaurant empire, Alexander befriended now-legendary chef Jack Gilmore.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
Three years ago, Waddle befriended 6-year-old cancer patient Rocco Passaro.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2026
There, she was befriended by comics Buddy Hackett, Red Buttons, Jack Carter and Joey Adams.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriended
Verb
-
After decades of Communism, the economy expanded; Hungary joined NATO and was on its way to full membership in the European Union.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Because the two halves of the mandible had not yet joined, the creature would have been physically incapable of eating on its own.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Many evangelicals of Hatmaker’s generation have travelled the same path of pointed questioning—not just about specific verses or churches but about their whole cultural milieu.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The viaducts that constitute the freeway, one of the most traveled in the Bay Area, are 71 years old and carry thousands of vehicles daily.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befriended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriended. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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