2
general::
friend
someone who you know and like very much and enjoy spending time with:
• Dad, this is my friend Steve. • She’s going to Palm Springs with some friends. • I got a letter from a friend from college. • Amy’s a close friend of mine . • John was a really good friend to me when I had all those problems last year.
acquaintance
someone who you know and see sometimes, but who is not one of your close friends:
• We borrowed the money from one of Paul’s business acquaintances.
mate
British English informal a friend – used especially about boys or men:
• He always goes to the pub with his mates on Friday night. • Terry’s an old mate of mine.
buddy
American English informal a friend – used especially about men or young people:
• He’s out playing basketball with some of his high school buddies.
pal
informal a friend – pal sounds rather old-fashioned:
• They met at school and have remained close pals.
crony
[ usually plural ] disapproving a friend – used about powerful people who will help each other even if it is slightly dishonest:
• He’s one of the President’s cronies.
companion
written someone who spends time with you, doing the same things as you – used about animals as well as people:
• travelling companions • His dog was his constant companion. • the perfect companion
the girls
informal a woman’s female friends:
• We’re having a girls’ night out.
the lads
British English informal a man’s male friends:
• a night out with the lads
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
noun ADJ. best, bosom, close, dear, good, great, intimate, real, special Her best friend at school was called Anna. I'm inviting only my closest friends to the party. | faithful, loyal, true | lifelong, long-standing, old It was so relaxing to be among old friends. | female, male, woman He was last seen leaving a restaurant with a female friend. | fair-weather People he had trusted turned out to be only fair-weather friends (= stopped being his friends when he was in trouble). | mutual We met each other through a mutual friend. | family, personal | childhood, school Do you keep in touch with any school friends? VERB + FRIEND become They became friends after meeting on holiday. | remain, stay We stayed friends even after we grew up and left home. | find, make He finds it difficult to make friends. She's made friends with the little girl who lives next door. | win He won't win any friends if he carries on talking like that. | have She doesn't have many good friends. PHRASES a circle of friends He introduced me to his circle of friends. | a friend of mine, yours, etc. I was given this necklace by a good friend of mine.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
5
general::
friend
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + friend
sb’s best friend
(= the friend you like the most )
• Fiona was her best friend.
a good/close friend
(= one of the friends you like the most )
• She’s a good friend of mine.
a dear friend
(= a friend who is very important to you )
• I’d like you to meet a dear friend of mine.
an old friend
(= someone who has been your friend for a long time )
• We went to see some old friends who had moved to Harlow.
a lifelong friend
(= someone who has been your friend for the whole of your life )
• The two men were lifelong friends.
a childhood friend
(= someone who was your friend when you were a child )
• She had been a childhood friend of Tony Walker.
a school friend
• I met some old school friends for lunch.
a family friend
• He’s visiting family friends.
a personal friend
• Mr Hutton is a close personal friend of my father.
a mutual friend
(= someone who is a friend of both you and someone else )
• They went to a mutual friend’s home for dinner.
a firm friend
(= a friend you like a lot and intend to keep )
• They had remained firm friends ever since they first met.
a trusted friend
• She told only a few trusted friends.
male/female friends
• Most of my male friends are married now.
verbs
have a friend
• Suzie has plenty of friends.
become friends
• Liz and Vanessa soon became friends.
remain friends
• We have all remained friends despite some difficult times.
phrases
a friend of mine/yours/Bill’s etc
• A friend of mine is going to Tokyo next week.
a friend of a friend
• I managed to get tickets from a friend of a friend.
sb’s circle of friends
(= all the friends somebody has )
• Her small circle of friends used to play cards together.
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