friend

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

friend^¹

/fɹɛnd/ US, UK
[fɹ̥ɛnd] US, UK
[fɹ̥ɛnd̥] US, UK
/frɪnd/ dialectal, especially

Rhymes with -ɛnd

Where it comes from

From Middle English freend, frend, frende, freynde, friend, frind, frond, frund, vrend, vryend, from Old English frēond, frīond (“friend”, literally “loving [one], lover”), from Proto-West Germanic *friund, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndz (“friend, loved one”), from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (“to please; to love”), roughly equivalent to free + -nd. See also Friday.

Cognates

Cognate with Scots freend (“friend”), Yola friend, vriene (“friend”), North Frisian frinj, frün (“friend”), Saterland Frisian Fjund, Früünd (“friend”), West Frisian freon, freondinne (“friend”), Cimbrian bròint, vròint (“friend”), Dutch vriend (“friend”), German Freund (“friend”), German Low German Fründ (“friend, relative”), Limburgish vröndj (“friend”), Luxembourgish Frënd (“friend”), Vilamovian fraeind, frajnd (“friend”), Yiddish פֿרײַנד (fraynd, “friend”), Danish frænde (“kinsman”), Faroese and Icelandic frændi (“kinsman”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk frende (“relative”), Swedish frände (“kinsman, relative”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌾𐍉𐌽𐌳𐍃 (frijōnds, “friend”); also Welsh rhydd (“free”), Latin proprius (“own, proper”), Belarusian пры́яцель (prýjacjelʹ, “friend”), Bulgarian прия́тел (prijátel, “male friend”), Czech přítel (“friend; supporter; lover”), Macedonian при́јател (príjatel, “friend, mate, pal”), Polish przyjaciel, przyjáciel (“friend; lover”), Russian прия́тель (prijátelʹ, “friend; buddy, mate, pal”), Serbo-Croatian при̏јатељ, prȉjatelj (“friend”), Slovak priateľ (“friend; supporter”), Slovene prijatelj (“friend; companion; chum”), Ukrainian при́ятель (prýjatelʹ, “friend; buddy, pal”), Avestan 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (friia, “good, pleasant”), Persian فری (fari, “beloved, dear; pleasing”), Sanskrit प्रिय (priya, “beloved; own, wonted”). More at free.

noun friends · frind · freind

A person, typically someone other than a family member, spouse or lover, whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection. "[…]if you have any wish to speak openly to me as a friend, or to ask my opinion of any thing that you may have in contemplation—as a friend, indeed, you may command me.—I will hear whatever you like. I will tell you exactly what I think." "As a friend!"—repeated Mr. Knightley.—"Emma, that I fear is
An associate who provides assistance; patron, mentor. When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my little pocket with halfpence.
A person with whom one is vaguely or indirectly acquainted. The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing",[…]and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is
Similar: acquaintance, contact
A person who backs or supports something. I’m not a friend of cheap wine.
Similar: admirer, booster, champion, protagonist, supporter
informal An object or idea that can be used for good. Fruit is your friend.
colloquial, ironic, used only in the vocative Used as a form of address when warning someone. You’d better watch it, friend.
Similar: buster, mate, pal, buddy, sonny
A function or class granted special access to the private and protected members of another class. But don't take the following sections as an endorsement of friends. Top C++ programmers avoid using friends unless absolutely necessary.
A spring-loaded camming device. Since they were introduced in the 1970s, friends have revolutionized climbing, making protection possible in previously impossible places […]
euphemistic A lover; a boyfriend or girlfriend. Nor to the motion of a schoolboy's tongue ; Nor never come in visard to my friend
Similar: lover
Scotland, obsolete A relative, a relation by blood or marriage. Friends agree best at a distance.
in plural Used to refer collectively to a group of associated individuals, especially those comprising a cast, company, or crew Meanwhile on The View, Whoopi Goldberg and friends continue to spout their takes on the hot topics of the day.
Similar: company, et al.

verb friends · friending · friended · frind · freind

obsolete, transitive To act as a friend to, to befriend; to be friendly to, to help. Lo sluggish Knight the victors happie pray: / So fortune friends the bold [...].
transitive To add (a person) to a list of friends on a social networking site; to officially designate (someone) as a friend. One of the most used features of MySpace is the practice that is nicknamed "friending." If you "friend" someone, then that person is added to your MySpace friends list, and you are added to their friends list.
Opposite: defriend, unfriend

Friend^²

Where it comes from

English surname, from the noun friend, or adaptations of it in other languages such as German Freund, Dutch Vriend, Slovene Prijatelj.

noun Friends

A Quaker; a member of the Society of Friends. (See also Friends.)
Brand name of a spring-loaded camming device, now used to refer to any such device, often uncapitalized, as friend.

proper noun

A surname transferred from the common noun.
An unincorporated community in Terry Township, Finney County, Kansas.
A minor city in Saline County, Nebraska, named after Charles E. Friend.
A ghost town in Wasco County, Oregon, named after George J. Friend.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: acquaintance, admirer, supporter, ally, booster, champion, protagonist, quaker, confederate, buddy, chum, amigo, friendship, companion, fellow, comrade

noun

Translations

Every language

noun person who provides assistance

Español	aliado, aliada
Kiswahili	rafiki
Português	aliado, aliada
Deutsch	Freund, Freundin
Ελληνικά	βοηθός voïthós
עברית	משרת

noun person whose company one enjoys

Español	amigo, amiga, chochera, amistad, cousín, parcero
한국어	동무 dongmu, 벗 beot
日本語	友達 tomodachi, 友人 yūjin, 朋友 hōyū
中文	朋友 péngyǒu, 友人 yǒurén
हिन्दी	दोस्त dost, मित्र mitra, साथी sāthī, सखा sakhā, यार yār, मीत mīt
Kiswahili	rafiki
Português	amigo, amiga
Français	ami, copain, amie f copine
Deutsch	Freund, Kumpel, Kamerad, Freundin, Kumpelin, Kumpeline
Italiano	amico, amica
Ελληνικά	φίλος fílos, φίλη fíli
Română	amic, amică, prieten, prietenă
Русский	друг drug, подру́га podrúga, прия́тель prijátelʹ, прия́тельница prijátelʹnica, това́рищ továrišč
Tiếng Việt	người bạn, bạn
العربية	صَدِيق ṣadīq, صَدِيقَة ṣadīqa, صَاحِب ṣāḥib, صَاحِبَة ṣāḥiba, رَفِيق rafīq, رَفِيقَة rafīqa
עברית	יָדִיד yadíd, ידידה yedida, חבר chaver, חברה chavera

noun person with whom you are acquainted

Español	conocido, conocida
日本語	仲間 nakama
हिन्दी	परिचित paricit
Kiswahili	rafiki
Português	conhecido, conhecida
Deutsch	Bekannter, Bekannte
Italiano	conoscente
Ελληνικά	γνωστός gnostós, γνωστή gností
Română	amic, амик amic
Русский	знако́мый znakómyj, знако́мая znakómaja

noun person who backs something

Kiswahili	rafiki
Deutsch	Freund, Freundin

noun object or idea that can be used for good

Kiswahili	rafiki
Deutsch	Freund

noun (sarcastic) form of address used to warn someone

Español	mijo, fulano, amiguito, compadre
Kiswahili	rafiki
Português	amigo, amiga, companheiro, companheira, camarada
Deutsch	Freundchen
Italiano	amico, amica

noun boyfriend or girlfriend

Español	novio, novia
日本語	彼氏 kareshi, 彼女 kanojo
中文	男朋友 nánpéngyǒu, 女朋友 nǚpéngyǒu
हिन्दी	प्रेमी premī, प्रेमिका premikā
Kiswahili	rafiki, rafiki wa kike, rafiki wa kiume
Português	namorado, namorada
Français	petit ami, copain, petite amie, copine
Deutsch	Freund, Liebster, Freundin, Liebste
Italiano	fidanzato, fidanzata
Ελληνικά	φίλος fílos, φίλη fíli, γκόμενος gkómenos, γκόμενα gkómena, αμόρε amóre
Română	prieten, iubit
Русский	друг drug, подру́га podrúga, прия́тель prijátelʹ, прия́тельница prijátelʹnica, молодой человек molodoj čelovek, девушка devuška
עברית	חבר khavér, חברה khaverá

verb to act as the friend of

Español	favorecer
Português	favorecer
Deutsch	sich anfreunden
Русский	дружи́ть družítʹ, подружи́ться podružítʹsja

verb to add as a friend

Español	amistar, hacer amigos, amigar
中文	加 jiā
Português	amigar, marcar como amigo
Français	se lier d'amitié (avec)
Русский	доба́вить в друзья́ dobávitʹ v druzʹjá

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"friend." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/friend. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

friend. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/friend

Chicago

"friend." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/friend.

BibTeX

@misc{friend_2026,
  title = {friend},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/friend},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}

friend

AI In plain words

friend¹

Where it comes from

noun friends · frind · freind

verb friends · friending · friended · frind · freind

Friend²

Where it comes from

noun Friends

proper noun

Thesaurus

Translations

noun person who provides assistance

noun person whose company one enjoys

noun person with whom you are acquainted

noun person who backs something

noun object or idea that can be used for good

noun (sarcastic) form of address used to warn someone

noun boyfriend or girlfriend

verb to act as the friend of

verb to add as a friend

friend^¹

Friend^²