as in to friend
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriend
Gacy befriended Bolton, inviting him to take a hike around the lake.
—
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
In the August 13 episode, the two were discussing with Kelce’s brother and co-host Jason Kelce, how Travis had a goal in life of rescuing and befriending a sea otter.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
When working on his music, Curry befriended the likes of Carole King and Cher, and tells of one wild night out at Studio 54 with Carly Simon and James Taylor.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
While in pursuit of the role, Simon befriends fellow actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley).
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befriend
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
In the August 13 episode, the two were discussing with Kelce’s brother and co-host Jason Kelce, how Travis had a goal in life of rescuing and befriending a sea otter.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
When working on his music, Curry befriended the likes of Carole King and Cher, and tells of one wild night out at Studio 54 with Carly Simon and James Taylor.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
While in pursuit of the role, Simon befriends fellow actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley).
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befriend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriend
Verb
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Might friend Taylor Swift be on hand to introduce one of her musical performances?—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
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For a leveled-up beef bite, head on over to BEAR Steak Sandwiches, where longtime friends Ricardo Barrientos and Aki Erenberg have found the mathematically conclusive perfect ratio of steak to soft, tasty Portuguese buns in their beef sandwiches (no actual bears on the menu here).—
Gizelle Lau,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cheryl Burke Gears Up for Her Return Two-time Mirrorball champion Cheryl Burke will join Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli as a guest judge for Halloween Night.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Graduates complete the program prepared to join the workforce of intelligence professionals.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befriend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriend. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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