as in joins
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of befriends
Renna, 47, starred as Ham Porter in the coming-of-age film, which centers on a boy named Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), who befriends a group of boys playing baseball at his new neighborhood's sandlot during the summer of 1962.
—
Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
In 2017, Gleeson played Knuckles McGinty, an inmate and prison chef who befriends the titular bear in Paddington 2.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Sawyer becomes a cop instead of a criminal; Ben becomes a teacher with Alex (Tania Raymonde) as one of his students; Kate befriends Claire while on the run.
—Janey Tracey, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
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
Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
In 2017, Gleeson played Knuckles McGinty, an inmate and prison chef who befriends the titular bear in Paddington 2.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Sawyer becomes a cop instead of a criminal; Ben becomes a teacher with Alex (Tania Raymonde) as one of his students; Kate befriends Claire while on the run.
—Janey Tracey, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriends
joins
Verb
-
Seattle joins a growing list of cities and counties that are seeking to place limits on the explosive growth of AI data centers.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
Kyle joins the conversation, too.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befriends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriends. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
