as in to friend
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriend
In the 2008 storyline, Peanut (Jarryd Joseph) is part of the family, having been befriended by Cricket Foster (Roderick Randle) when both were in elementary school.
—
Amy Reyes, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
The frame narrative, involving Johnny befriending Toby, a Black boy his age on the plantation, Uncle Remus, and a white-trash girl, Ginny, who is bullied by her brothers, is stilted and poorly paced.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Daniel Bernhardt is Deathstalker, a legendary swordsman stuck with a cursed amulet who befriends swamp monsters and teams with a mini wizard (voiced by Patton Oswalt) to stop a dark magic from ruling the land.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
The clip captures a solid day of shenanigans, which include dirt-biking, graffitiing, flying a kite, brandishing various plushies and smoke flares, and befriending a herd of sheep.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for befriend
Amy Reyes, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
The frame narrative, involving Johnny befriending Toby, a Black boy his age on the plantation, Uncle Remus, and a white-trash girl, Ginny, who is bullied by her brothers, is stilted and poorly paced.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Daniel Bernhardt is Deathstalker, a legendary swordsman stuck with a cursed amulet who befriends swamp monsters and teams with a mini wizard (voiced by Patton Oswalt) to stop a dark magic from ruling the land.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
The clip captures a solid day of shenanigans, which include dirt-biking, graffitiing, flying a kite, brandishing various plushies and smoke flares, and befriending a herd of sheep.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for befriend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriend
Verb
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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
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Sending his wife Luciana and all his family and friends our condolences.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jazz Chisholm also appears to have woken up as the infielder joined the homer party with a solo shot in the fourth inning.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
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In fact, Kancey was only one of two players in the NFL in 2024 to record a quarterback hit in 10-plus consecutive games, joining the Texans’ Danielle Hunter.—
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befriend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriend. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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