as in joins
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriends
Much of that buoyancy is owed to the mismatched buddy chemistry between Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a green-skinned loner with a talent for sorcery, and Ariana Grande as Glinda, a bubbly good-witch-to-be who befriends Elphaba at a university.
—
Scott Tobias, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Facing an epic bout of writers’ block while cooped up in a rotting Los Angeles hotel, Barton befriends a diabolically charismatic traveling salesman named Charlie (Goodman) who’s staying down the hall.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2025
There was also an introductory interlude with a curly-haired vampire — those of you who watched season two of Interview With the Vampire may recognize Felix — who befriends Lasher on a park bench and urges him to drop his human impulse to empathy.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025
Mulholland Drive follows an aspiring actress (Watts) who befriends an amnesiac woman (Harring) after arriving in Los Angeles.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
Naomi Watts had her Hollywood breakthrough as an aspiring actress in LA who befriends a woman (Laura Elena Harring) suffering from amnesia after a car accident, and the two come on the radar of a smarmy film director (Justin Theroux) who's being threatened by mobsters.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
The five-time Emmy nominee plays a heightened version of herself, who arrives as a defendant and befriends Judge Abby Stone.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 13 Jan. 2025
The story of a normal guy played by Ben Stiller (who also directed) who befriends a very abnormal guy is a classic for those who like their humor with a little bit of danger.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
With a plan to earn Gi-hun's trust and derail his mission to end the game, In-ho befriends Gi-hun and his friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) and plays a double persona.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Scott Tobias, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Facing an epic bout of writers’ block while cooped up in a rotting Los Angeles hotel, Barton befriends a diabolically charismatic traveling salesman named Charlie (Goodman) who’s staying down the hall.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2025
There was also an introductory interlude with a curly-haired vampire — those of you who watched season two of Interview With the Vampire may recognize Felix — who befriends Lasher on a park bench and urges him to drop his human impulse to empathy.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025
Mulholland Drive follows an aspiring actress (Watts) who befriends an amnesiac woman (Harring) after arriving in Los Angeles.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
Naomi Watts had her Hollywood breakthrough as an aspiring actress in LA who befriends a woman (Laura Elena Harring) suffering from amnesia after a car accident, and the two come on the radar of a smarmy film director (Justin Theroux) who's being threatened by mobsters.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
The five-time Emmy nominee plays a heightened version of herself, who arrives as a defendant and befriends Judge Abby Stone.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 13 Jan. 2025
The story of a normal guy played by Ben Stiller (who also directed) who befriends a very abnormal guy is a classic for those who like their humor with a little bit of danger.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
With a plan to earn Gi-hun's trust and derail his mission to end the game, In-ho befriends Gi-hun and his friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) and plays a double persona.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriends
joins
Verb
-
As for Minnesota, Mason joins a backfield led by veteran Aaron Jones.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The new Florida restaurant joins two locations in Utah.—
Jason Dill,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befriends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriends. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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