Befriend
/bɪˈfɹɛnd/ verb
verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To become a friend of, to make friends with. transitive
"1854, Henry David Thoreau, Walden, p. 143. Every little pine needle expanded and swelled with sympathy and befriended me."
- 2 become friends with wordnet
- 3 To act as a friend to, to assist. dated, transitive
"Brother servants must always befriend one another."
- 4 To favor. transitive
"If it will please Caesar / To be so good to Caesar, as to hear me, / I shall beseech him to befriend himself."
Example
More examples"Iran desires to befriend the world."
Etymology
From be- + friend. Compare Saterland Frisian befrüündje (“to befriend”), Dutch bevrienden (“to befriend”), German Low German befründen (“to befriend”), German befreunden (“to befriend”). Compare also West Frisian befreone (“befriended”).