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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to befriend
Related Words
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 friend
Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 13 Jan. 2025
Like many immigrant parents, my mom and dad weren’t too keen on me going to friend’s houses or inviting them over to ours.
—The Editors, Outside Online, 25 Dec. 2024
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
One photo showed a group shot of the rapper and his friends clanking beer glasses.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for friend
Noun
With the Bath & Body Works x Sweethearts collab, those of us who remember sending classmates and friends clandestine messages via Sweethearts’ Conversation Hearts are in for a trip down memory lane.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 13 Jan. 2025
Like many immigrant parents, my mom and dad weren’t too keen on me going to friend’s houses or inviting them over to ours.
—The Editors, Outside Online, 25 Dec. 2024
Verb
Our foul, flatulent father-figure may exaggerate a bit when belittling his enemies (and friends, for that matter), but cloaked under his aura of filth — like an adult Pig-Pen’s toxic dust cloud — rests a core truth.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
One photo showed a group shot of the rapper and his friends clanking beer glasses.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for friend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for friend
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Edwards retreated to the Dark Forest in Germany with the actual nuclear bearings, and reached out to his Navy SEAL buddy, James Reece (Chris Pratt), to share his mindset of how war bureaucrats have set up real soldiers to fail in their efforts to keep the free world safe.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Additionally, read on for tips and advice on how to decline group invitations and, gracefully, break up with your accountability buddy.—
Jenessa Connor,
Outside,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Eide and other proponents of expanding hospitalization believe the administration could do even more.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Closure of the bike path to undertake this project has drawn opposition from cycling proponents and West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There’s also an entire case of 33 trinkets to find and wear that impact each run, and a full menagerie of animal familiars to befriend who can follow players around and assist in battle.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Photographer Sam Shaw befriended the iconic actress in the early 1950s and soon became her de facto personal photographer.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Manes admired Bukele’s reformist zeal, former colleagues said.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
-
My colleague David Ferrara and I spoke with university officials, immigrant experts and a former UC international student to learn more about what's at stake when this particular number drops.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has to approve many of those mergers—and Trump stacked the FCC with his supporters.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Kneeling was widely used by protesters and supporters after Floyd’s death to signal sympathy with the Black Lives Matter movement and a call for racial justice.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
At the time of the first ICE arrest, Vorbe, a former confidant of late President René Préval, was in a public fight with Moïse after the president targeted his company Société Générale d’Énergie SA.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
-
First, as a personal confidant for deep reflection.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The new partnership between farmers and advocates will let agriculture prosper while protecting one of Indiana's largest watersheds.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Newsom has been under pressure in recent years to adopt AI guardrails by advocates worried about the technology’s impact on unemployment by automating jobs and upending creative and media industries via its ability to generate new pictures, audio and other media using existing data.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Still, Greenbaum said the Babylonians made a conscious choice to simplify the Zodiac and tie the twelve signs to the seasons so that Aries, for example, would be associated with the start of Spring.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Although Americans mostly associate California with wine country, Texas deserves credit, Landon said.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Friend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friend. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share