friend 1 of 2

noun

ˈfrend How to pronounce friend (audio)
Definition of friendnext
1
as in buddy
a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another really close friends who like to do everything together and are always sharing secrets

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proponent
a person who actively supports or favors a cause hopes that the new governor will be a friend to environmental causes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

friend

2 of 2

verb

as in to befriend

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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 friend
Noun
Mann made note of his friends having unusual skills, such as McGuire being able to quickly figure out puzzles and Wilson knowing how to drive a stick shift car. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The discrepancies between the two friends’ stories are striking. — S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
The discourse started to boil when the Duchess of Sussex declared to friend Mindy Kaling that her last name is now Sussex in season 1 of Netflix’s With Love, Meghan, which premiered in March 2025. — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 7 Apr. 2026 Sending his wife Luciana and all his family and friends our condolences. — Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for friend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for friend
  1. buddy
  2. proponent
  3. befriend
  4. colleague
  5. supporter
  6. associate
  7. confidant
  8. advocate
Noun
  • In the sequel series, John and his thunder-buddy Ted are neighbors, both with families of their own and dead-end jobs.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
  • One of his buddies needed insulin and waited up to four hours each day in the medical area to receive his necessary shots.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of buddy
Noun
  • But the apps’ creators and proponents argued the apps were simply a way for users to avoid contact with law enforcement and bore little difference in how Apple and Google maps let users alert others to police speed traps.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The bulk of the money raised by the proponents of Proposition 40, which would enact a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires’ assets, appears to have been spent on gathering signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of proponent
Verb
  • The Trasks encounter a wide swath of citizens, haggling with sneaky cheats, exploiting innocent fools, and befriending big-hearted neighbors.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Aaliyah was Joe's first major target in Season 1, when the CIA Lioness program sent Marine Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira) undercover to befriend her and infiltrate her family.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of befriend
Noun
  • The Ratepayer Protection Act, meant to prevent data centers from raising electricity prices, enjoyed sweeping support in the House from all but three Democrats while all but four of their colleagues in the Senate opposed it.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Back in 2009, this was a task that quite literally took a village of 30 people — including me — working together to interpret the whole genome sequence of a colleague, friend, and fellow scientist named Stephen Quake.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of colleague
Noun
  • Other supporters argue that adding the ban to the Missouri Constitution would strengthen it.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Two vocal supporters of Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra filed a formal campaign finance complaint against his rival, Steve Hilton, on Tuesday over the Republican campaign’s use of paid online promoters.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of supporter
Verb
  • Core people who don't work, a lot of people associate those folks by the color of their skin.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
  • According to Pennington, Edward Jones has been using AI to better identify common financial scenarios their clients encounter, and gain new insight into both their experience and the emotions associated with it.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of associate
Noun
  • What is revealed is Parks’ intimacy with his subjects, from Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X to fashion doyennes Bergman and Vanderbilt, a longtime confidant whom he was often photographed with on New York’s social scene.
    — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • That’s why people adopt chatbots as confidants and therapists in the first place.
    — Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of confidant
Noun
  • As the second Cunningham rally raged outside the Moda Center, once again pitting women's sports advocates against pro-trans counter-protesters, WNBA coaches faced consequential questioning inside.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • So would Hilton at least be an advocate for undocumented immigrants?
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of advocate

Browse Nearby Words

fried
friend
friended
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Cite this Entry

“Friend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friend. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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