FRIEND Synonyms: 145 Similar and Opposite Words

friend 1 of 2

noun

ˈfrend

Definition of friend

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

friend

2 of 2

verb

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

Noun

Shopping with friends, asking an employee for guidance, or seeing how others interact with a product can influence a decision in ways that are difficult to reproduce on a screen. — Connie Etemadi, Freep.com, 18 Aug. 2026 My heart and prayers are with you, your daughter, your family, friends and fans. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 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

Noun

The experience will also recreate Shrimp Boat Sound, Buffett’s Key West recording studio, and feature interviews with family members, bandmates, crew, friends, fishing buddies, boat builders, producers, authors, musicians and business associates.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026
Martial arts and supernatural horror collide in this romp of a buddy comedy.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of buddy

Noun

On Monday, the act gained its highest-profile proponent yet when New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani announced his support for the legislation.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
Andrew Sweetman, the Scottish marine biogeochemist who led the work, hadn’t made such claims, but he was still pilloried by fellow-scientists, and proponents of mining accused him of being an anti-mining crusader.

— James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of proponent

Verb

The film memorably told the story of a young boy who befriends and tries to free a killer whale who has been captured in the wild and is living in an aquarium.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
The Ghost Player experience, which allowed Scherrman to befriend the family of Roberto Clemente on a trip to Puerto Rico, has been decidedly more rewarding than serving as an extra in the film.

— Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of befriend

Noun

But the allegations involving his treatment of women led some of his GOP colleagues to at one point consider possibly expelling him from the House.

— Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Ornelas and some of her colleagues have recently created the Health and Power Organizing Project, a coalition of academics and advocates to provide a counterweight to political headwinds.

— Anil Oza, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of colleague

Verb

Researchers and local media reported earlier this year on unsafe and unregulated mining associated with a rapidly expanding gold rush around Zamboye, where the mine collapsed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Drinking tea has been consistently associated with a longer lifespan.

— Anahad O’Connor, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of associate

Noun

Cohen would later act as Sun’s protector and confidant through the years of the Chinese Revolution.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Rebecca seems sinister but is also tantalizing, especially to Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), a shy secretary who becomes Rebecca’s… confidant?

— Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of confidant

Noun

Some of us assist in delivery rooms, some of us administer medications, some of us advocate for our patients to insurance companies to make sure lifesaving is covered.

— Nancy Hagans, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026
Banks, the first saxophonist to receive the prestigious Avery Fisher Award, is a tireless advocate for his instrument in the classical world.

— Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of advocate

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fried

friend

friended

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“Friend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friend. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of friend

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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