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

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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

The suspect was allegedly a guest at the barracks visiting a state trooper friend from college, prosecutors said in court at his arraignment. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Every instructor, editor, friend, my spouse, and absolutely my agent, who tells me when to try it again, that something hasn’t reached my ambitions for it. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 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

Keith David, Macon Blair, Killer Mike, Cody Lightning, Siena East, and Michael Hitchcock all return as some of Lee’s Tulsa-area buddies, employees, and resentful acquaintances.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Mitt’s old fishing buddy Hewey (John Ortiz) tells Jay that his father plunged into the ocean at the edge of a steep underwater canyon off Monastery Beach, so that’s where Jay is headed.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of buddy

Noun

One of the leading proponents of an energy-centric view of disease is Martin Picard, a biologist who directs the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group at Columbia University.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The No campaign accused measure proponents of misusing the state office.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of proponent

Verb

The whale’s gullet is flickeringly lit by a bioluminescent jellyfish that Jay sort of befriends.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Other standouts include Manon Gage as a trouble-making hippie; a very hungry brown bear; Joy Suprano as a budding feminist who befriends Pamela; and a prolific TV presence who guest stars in the second half of the season.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of befriend

Noun

Wang failed her first attempt to defend her dissertation and became envious of her colleague's success in discovering how to deliver RNA to human cells using bacteria, Gomelsky told The Associated Press.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
New Skydance content sales chief David Decker was all smiles at the WBD stand, able to look over and see his new Paramount colleagues just along the beachfront.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of colleague

Noun

Even some supporters of capital punishment, including a number of Republican lawmakers, seemed repelled by the prospect.

— Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
The bottom line of Milton Friedman and other supporters of neoliberalism was that there has to be effective competition, there has to be open entry.

— John E. McDonough, STAT, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of supporter

Verb

Commonly associated with environmental risk factors such as smoking or exposure to hazards like radon, the rare but aggressively fast-growing condition gets its name from the unusually tiny appearance of its cells.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Latte Life, which is associated with Life Unlimited, opened Monday at 318 Armour Rd.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of associate

Noun

However, some safety advocates and Senator Maria Cantwell want a stronger federal review process.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
The city’s independent ratepayer advocate, Timothy O’Connor, agreed that high temperatures were a big driver of the skyrocketing bills, with more people moving into Tier 2 and Tier 3.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of advocate

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Style

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

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Synonyms of friend

noun

verb

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