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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

best friend en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English best frend, best freond, equivalent to best + friend. Compare West Frisian bêste freon (“best friend”), Dutch beste vriend (“best friend”), German bester Freund (“best friend”).

Meanings

  1. An especially close and trusted friend.
    • After all these years, he was still my best friend, and a few months later, he was my best man. 2007 October 26, Elizabeth Welch, “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” (11:13 from the start), in Ethan Spaulding, director, Avatar: The Last Airbender, season 3 (Book Three: Fire), episode 6, spoken by Roku (James Garret):
    • I know you and Virginia are on best-friend terms. 1994, Penny Vincenzi, Wicked Pleasures, →ISBN, page 46:
    • Being best friends means giving up control and allowing ourselves to become vulnerable. 2004, Kenneth D. George, Keeping Mr. Right, →ISBN:
    • But my best friend, Gale Hawthorne, and his family will be depending on today’s haul and I can’t let them down. 2009, Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire (The Hunger Games), New York, N.Y.: Scholastic Press, →ISBN, page 4:
    • A best friend is always there for you, even when no one else is. 2001, Lauren, “To me a best friend is everything”, in Marilyn Kielbasa, Janet Claussen, editors, Listen for a Whisper: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections by Girls, →ISBN:
  2. (informal) An object or concept considered very useful or helpful to someone.
    • You might even say, the bigger the problem, the greater your creative potential. The problem you're facing is your best friend because it will help to bring out the best in you. 2005, Jeff Davidson, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Things Done, Penguin, →ISBN, page 212:
    • An instructor informed us that in battle, your rifle is your best friend. 2010, Art Seamans, I See, Said the Blind Man, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 48:
    • As an entrepreneur, a conservative financial outlook is your best friend. Live to fight another day. Running a business also involves a host of legal issues. Talk to some people you respect and trust, get some recommendations, and hire a good lawyer and accountant. 2006, Christopher Duncan, The Career Programmer: Guerilla^([sic]) Tactics for an Imperfect World, Apress, →ISBN:
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see best, friend.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
best friends Number=Plur lexicographic

Antonyms

worst enemy

Deriveds

best friend forever

Relateds

best man · best girl

Synonyms

bestie · BFF · bosom friend · boon companion

Translations (66)

ko 절친 (an especially close and trusted friend) · ru прия́тельница (an especially close and trusted friend) · ro cea mai bună prietenă (an especially close and trusted friend) · tl beshie (an especially close and trusted friend) · ga príomhchara (an especially close and trusted friend) · ta சிறந்த நண்பன் (an especially close and trusted friend) · ms kawan karib (an especially close and trusted friend) · es mejor amiga (an especially close and trusted friend) · fi paras kaveri (an especially close and trusted friend) · tr kanka (an especially close and trusted friend) · nn besteveninne (an especially close and trusted friend) · pt melhores amigas (an especially close and trusted friend) · ko 베스트 프렌드 (an especially close and trusted friend) · ar فُضْلَى صَدِيقَة (an especially close and trusted friend) · pl przyjaciel (an especially close and trusted friend) · hi सबसे अच्छा दोस्त (an especially close and trusted friend) · nb bestevenn (an especially close and trusted friend) · ms teman rapat (an especially close and trusted friend) · fi bestis (an especially close and trusted friend) · nl beste vriend (an especially close and trusted friend) · ca millor amic (an especially close and trusted friend) · es mejor amigo (an especially close and trusted friend) · id sahabat (an especially close and trusted friend) · ms sahabat karib (an especially close and trusted friend) · de beste Freundin (an especially close and trusted friend) · ro cel mai bun prieten (an especially close and trusted friend) · ca millor amiga (an especially close and trusted friend) · el κολλητός (an especially close and trusted friend) · nl beste vriendin (an especially close and trusted friend) · sv bästis (an especially close and trusted friend) · ms rakan karib (an especially close and trusted friend) · hsb najlěpša přećelka (an especially close and trusted friend) · is besta vinkona (an especially close and trusted friend) · bg най-добъ́р прия́тел (an especially close and trusted friend) · et parim sõber (an especially close and trusted friend) · pt melhores amigos (an especially close and trusted friend) · bg най-добра́ прия́телка (an especially close and trusted friend) · ar أَفْضَل صَدِيق (an especially close and trusted friend) · ms rakan rapat (an especially close and trusted friend) · pt melhor amiga (an especially close and trusted friend) · nn bestevenn (an especially close and trusted friend) · de bester Freund (an especially close and trusted friend) · pt melhor amigo (an especially close and trusted friend) · nn besteven (an especially close and trusted friend) · cy ffrind pennaf (an especially close and trusted friend) · hsb najlěpši přećel (an especially close and trusted friend) · fr meilleur ami (an especially close and trusted friend) · tl matalik na kaibigan (an especially close and trusted friend) · sv bäste vän (an especially close and trusted friend) · ta நெருங்கிய நண்பன் (an especially close and trusted friend) · fr meilleure amie (an especially close and trusted friend) · cmn 至交 (an especially close and trusted friend) · cmn 好朋友 (an especially close and trusted friend) · ms sahabat rapat (an especially close and trusted friend) · pl przyjaciółka (an especially close and trusted friend) · nb bestevenninne (an especially close and trusted friend) · tl bes (an especially close and trusted friend) · ga dlúthchara (an especially close and trusted friend) · ms teman karib (an especially close and trusted friend) · el κολλητή (an especially close and trusted friend) · uk найкра́щий друг (an especially close and trusted friend) · is besti vinur (an especially close and trusted friend) · ru прия́тель (an especially close and trusted friend) · nn bestevenninne (an especially close and trusted friend) · ms kawan rapat (an especially close and trusted friend) · sv bästa vän (an especially close and trusted friend)