friend */*/*/

UK [frend] / US noun
Word forms "friend":
singular friend plural friends

1) [countable] someone you know well and like, but who is not a member of your family

She's visiting friends in Scotland.

close/good/great friend:

Helga is a close friend of mine.

old friend (= one that you have had for a long time):

I'm having lunch with an old friend.

friends and relatives/neighbours/acquaintances:

We stayed with various friends and relatives.

friend of the family/family friend:

May I introduce Peter Flint, a very old friend of the family.

circle of friends (= group of friends):

She has a wide circle of friends.

a) used for referring to a person without mentioning their name

I'll ask my friend at the office if she knows.

The letter was signed simply "A friend".

b) friends

[plural] if two people are friends, each one is a friend of the other

They used to be good friends, but they've fallen out recently.

A lot of couples remain friends after their marriage ends.

friend with:

I've been friends with him for years.

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Collocations:
Adjectives frequently used with friend
▪  best, close, closest, dear, good, great, lifelong, old, trusted

2) [countable] a country that has a good relationship with another country

Japan is a valued friend and partner of this country.

3) [countable] someone who supports a particular organization, political movement etc, especially by giving them money

Annabel is a friend of the Metropolitan Museum.

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just (good) friends — used for emphasizing that two people are not having a romantic relationship. People sometimes use this expression to suggest that two people really are having a romantic relationship, even though they claim they are not.

- friends in high places

- make friends

- no friend of