as in joins
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriends
At her grandparents’ remote ski resort hotel in the Andes, the girl befriends German skier Hanna, 15.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
This modest comedy about a Parisian music teacher and photography buff (Isabelle Huppert) who befriends a Korean film-sales assistant (Kim Min-hee) at Cannes was shot in public spaces around the 2016 festival, timed to coincide with Huppert and Min-hee’s real-life appearances there for other films.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Odessa A’zion voices Nikki Baxter, a new kid who befriends our core group of Hawkins kids.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026
His son goes to Hogwarts and befriends Draco Malfoy’s son in a new journey that includes magic, a massive battle and many special effects.
—Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026
Daniel Bernhardt is Deathstalker, a legendary swordsman stuck with a cursed amulet who befriends swamp monsters and teams with a mini wizard (voiced by Patton Oswalt) to stop a dark magic from ruling the land.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
The original 1997 film follows Buddy, a runaway circus dog who befriends a boy named Josh and helps lead his school’s basketball team to a championship.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
Grace befriends multiple other scientists working on the ship with him, and their relationships are unpacked and explored.
—Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
As the Creature befriends a blind man (David Bradley), who has shared his love of books, Elordi's character explores his sense of self, and his sense of purpose, and seeks answers – in literature, and in his own fragmented memories.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
This modest comedy about a Parisian music teacher and photography buff (Isabelle Huppert) who befriends a Korean film-sales assistant (Kim Min-hee) at Cannes was shot in public spaces around the 2016 festival, timed to coincide with Huppert and Min-hee’s real-life appearances there for other films.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Odessa A’zion voices Nikki Baxter, a new kid who befriends our core group of Hawkins kids.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026
His son goes to Hogwarts and befriends Draco Malfoy’s son in a new journey that includes magic, a massive battle and many special effects.
—Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026
Daniel Bernhardt is Deathstalker, a legendary swordsman stuck with a cursed amulet who befriends swamp monsters and teams with a mini wizard (voiced by Patton Oswalt) to stop a dark magic from ruling the land.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
The original 1997 film follows Buddy, a runaway circus dog who befriends a boy named Josh and helps lead his school’s basketball team to a championship.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
Grace befriends multiple other scientists working on the ship with him, and their relationships are unpacked and explored.
—Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
As the Creature befriends a blind man (David Bradley), who has shared his love of books, Elordi's character explores his sense of self, and his sense of purpose, and seeks answers – in literature, and in his own fragmented memories.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriends
joins
Verb
-
This assist also joins his ones for Gabriel away to Newcastle United and Rice at Bournemouth as match-winners.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Expected to be in place to chair the Fed’s next meeting June 16 to 17, Warsh joins a central bank whose policymakers are engaged in a vigorous debate on the direction of interest rates.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befriends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriends. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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