as in joins
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriends
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
His daughter Sadie Sandler stars as a college freshman who befriends a girl (Chloe East) who ends up being an awful roommate.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 17 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
Ortiz, 42, plays Rocky, an arachnoid alien made of stone-like material, who befriends Grace.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 7 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
In some respects, Project Hail Mary — about an astronaut (Ryan Gosling) who befriends an alien in an effort to save both their planets from a solar catastrophe — is a rather traditional, feel-good hero’s tale.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 23 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
Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026
His daughter Sadie Sandler stars as a college freshman who befriends a girl (Chloe East) who ends up being an awful roommate.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 17 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
Ortiz, 42, plays Rocky, an arachnoid alien made of stone-like material, who befriends Grace.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 7 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
In some respects, Project Hail Mary — about an astronaut (Ryan Gosling) who befriends an alien in an effort to save both their planets from a solar catastrophe — is a rather traditional, feel-good hero’s tale.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 23 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
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According to Dillon Amaya, a research scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a climate cycle that is a precursor to El Niño now joins the distinct California marine heat wave with a far bigger area of unusually hot ocean waters that extends all the way to Indonesia.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Hayley Williams, the frontwoman from the aforementioned Paramore, joins Andrews for the emotional acoustic break-up song that builds to a dramatic finish.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befriends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriends. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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