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Definition of friend noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

friend

noun
 
 
/frend/
 
/frend/
Idioms
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    person you like

  1.  
     a person you know well and like, and who is not usually a member of your family
    • This is my friend Tom.
    • Is he a friend of yours?
    • Jane's a friend of the family.
    • She's an old friend (= I have known her a long time).
    • He's one of my best friends.
    • a close/good/dear friend
    • a childhood/family/longtime friend
    • We've been friends for years.
    • They had a quarrel, but they're friends again now.
    • to become/remain friends
    • as a friend I'm asking you as a friend not to tell anyone.
    • She wanted to share the news with family and friends.
    • She has a wide circle of friends.
    • I heard about it through a friend of a friend.
    see also befriend, bosom friend, boyfriend, fair-weather, false friend, four-legged friend, girlfriend, McKenzie friend, penfriend, school friend
    Wordfinder
    Extra Examples
    • We met at school and became lifelong friends.
    • My ideal Saturday night is dinner with friends.
    • We invited friends and neighbours to celebrate with us.
    • I hope we can remain friends.
    • She's gone out to meet friends.
    • I saw her out with a group of friends.
    • Tom is travelling/​traveling with some friends from university.
    • Paul and Sue are family friends—I've known them all my life.
    • Why don't you ask your friends at work to help?
    • If you like our products, tell your friends.
    • We're visiting friends this weekend.
    • He's gone to stay with a friend in London.
    • He has a lot of friends.
    • Does your sister have any single friends?
    • Even his own friends don't believe him.
    • He was last seen leaving a restaurant with a female friend.
    • He asked a few of his male friends what they thought.
    • Can I bring a friend?
    • She's lost friends because of her brutal honesty.
    • He won't win any friends if he carries on talking like that.
    • Her best friend at school was called Anna.
    • He married his old school friend.
    • I'm inviting only my closest friends to the party.
    • It was so relaxing to be among old friends.
    • My so-called friends were making fun of me because of my clothes.
    • We met each other through a mutual friend.
    • If you need a friend, just call me.
    Topics Family and relationshipsa1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • best
    • bosom
    • close
    • …
    verb + friend
    • become
    • remain
    • stay
    • …
    preposition
    • friend from
    phrases
    • a circle of friends
    • a group of friends
    • a friend of a friend
    • …
    See full entry
    2.

    on the internet

  2. a person who is on your list of contacts on a social media website
    • How many friends have you got on Facebook?
    • Facebook friends
    Topics Phones, email and the interneta2

    3. supporter

  3. Friend
     a person who supports an organization, a charity, etc., especially by giving or raising money; a person who supports a particular idea, etc.
    • the Friends of St Martin’s Hospital
    • a friend of democracy
    • Theatre tickets are 10% cheaper for Friends.
    Topics Social issuesc2

    4. not enemy

  4. a person who has the same interests and opinions as yourself, and who will help and support you
    • His eyes were moving from face to face: friend or foe?
    • among friends You're among friends here—you can speak freely.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • best
    • bosom
    • close
    • …
    verb + friend
    • become
    • remain
    • stay
    • …
    preposition
    • friend from
    phrases
    • a circle of friends
    • a group of friends
    • a friend of a friend
    • …
    See full entry
    5.

    person that you meet/speak to

  5. (often ironic) used to talk about or to somebody that you meet who is not actually a friend
    • I wish our friend at the next table would shut up.
    • My friends, let me introduce myself.
    6.

    in parliament/court

  6. (in the UK) used by a member of parliament to refer to another member of parliament or by a lawyer to refer to another lawyer in a court of law
    • my honourable friend, the member for Henley (= in the House of Commons)
    • my noble friend (= in the House of Lords)
    • my learned friend (= in a court of law)
    7.

    in religion

  7. Friend
     a member of the Society of Friends synonym Quaker
    8. see also flexible friend
    Word OriginOld English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’, shared by free.
Idioms
be (just) good friends
  1. used to say that two friends are not having a romantic relationship with each other
    • They gradually got to know each other better but they remained just good friends.
a friend in need (is a friend indeed)
  1. (saying) a friend who gives you help when you need it (is a true friend)
have friends in high places
  1. to know important people who can help you
    • ‘How did he get promoted so quickly?’ ‘Oh, he has friends in high places.’
make friends (with somebody)
  1. to become a friend of somebody
    • Simon finds it hard to make friends with other children.
man’s best friend
  1. a way of describing a dog
See friend in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee friend in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: friend

Nearby words

paragraph
noun
 
 
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