as in joining
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriending
The Ronettes’ sexy look and powerful voices — plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector — turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with The Rolling Stones and befriending the Beatles.
—
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Still, the King of Pop's life wasn't without controversy, which ranged from wacky (befriending and adopting a chimp) to much darker (child abuse allegations).
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Characteristically, McMurtry wasn’t keen on being the subject of a full biography; Streitfeld, after befriending him, won his cooperation piecemeal.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 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
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
Kelley makes a play for Göring’s trust by befriending his wife and daughter and carrying letters to them, against all regulations.
—Alice Kaplan, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Even the part about befriending a notorious pedophile?
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Even the bit about befriending a notorious paedophile?
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Still, the King of Pop's life wasn't without controversy, which ranged from wacky (befriending and adopting a chimp) to much darker (child abuse allegations).
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Characteristically, McMurtry wasn’t keen on being the subject of a full biography; Streitfeld, after befriending him, won his cooperation piecemeal.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 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
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
Kelley makes a play for Göring’s trust by befriending his wife and daughter and carrying letters to them, against all regulations.
—Alice Kaplan, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Even the part about befriending a notorious pedophile?
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Even the bit about befriending a notorious paedophile?
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriending
Verb
-
Last summer was a whirlwind, with nine new players joining the first-team squad and eight leaving.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Season 2 ended with Marie joining the Starlighter resistance against Homelander (Antony Starr).—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After the match, Chelsea captain Reece James made a point of pushing McFarlane towards the travelling support to receive his congratulations.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Roughly 55% of people traveling along the avenue are doing so on a bus, city data says.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The specific date wasn’t listed, but Andreski noted once construction starts, the first trains connecting the Medical District to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport should begin rolling by the end of 2029.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
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Kate Ackerman, director of the Women’s Health Sports and Performance Institute, leads the Alliance’s work connecting this research back to female athletes.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befriending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriending. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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