What does "companion" mean?
A friend, acquaintance, or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies
Companion
/kəmˈpænjən/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A friend, acquaintance, or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies
- Grammar: companion is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: associate, abigail, accompanier, accompaniment.
- Useful contrasts: enemy, isolates, standalone.
- Usage evidence: My companion said that she was too tired to walk, let alone run.
How to use "companion"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "companion" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "companion" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "companion" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "companion" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "companion" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "associate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "companion", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A friend, acquaintance, or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies
"His dog has been his trusted companion for the last five years."
- 2 one paid to accompany or assist or live with another wordnet
- 3 A person employed to accompany or travel with another. dated
- 4 a friend who is frequently in the company of another wordnet
- 5 The framework on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship through which daylight entered the cabins below.
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a traveler who accompanies you wordnet
- 7 The covering of a hatchway on an upper deck which leads to the companionway; the stairs themselves.
- 8 A knot in whose neighborhood another, specified knot meets every meridian disk.
- 9 A thing or phenomenon that is closely associated with another thing, phenomenon, or person. figuratively
- 10 An appended source of media or information, designed to be used in conjunction with and to enhance the main material. attributive
"The companion guide gives an in-depth analysis of this particular translation."
- 11 A celestial object that is associated with another.
- 12 A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders.
"a companion of the Bath"
- 13 A fellow; a rogue. derogatory, obsolete
"[L]et vs knog our praines together to be reuenge on this ſame ſcall ſcuruy-cogging-companion the Hoſt of the Garter."
Verb
- 1 To be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany. obsolete
"we had better turn south quickly and compare the elements of education which formed , and of creation which companioned , Salvator ."
- 2 be a companion to somebody wordnet
- 3 To qualify as a companion; to make equal. obsolete
"Finde me to marrie me with Octauius Cæſar, and companion me with my Miſtris."
Antonyms
Example
"My companion said that she was too tired to walk, let alone run."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "companion"?
Common synonyms include: associate, abigail, accompanier, accompaniment, accompanist, accompany.
How do you use "companion" in a sentence?
My companion said that she was too tired to walk, let alone run.
How do you pronounce "companion"?
Pronounced /kəmˈpænjən/.
Etymology
From Middle English companion, from Old French compaignon (“companion”) (modern French compagnon), from Late Latin compāniōn- (nominative singular compāniō, whence French copain), from com- + pānis (literally, with + bread), a word first attested in the Frankish Lex Salica as a calque of a Germanic word, probably Frankish *galaibo, *gahlaibō (“messmate”, literally “with-bread”), from Proto-Germanic *gahlaibô. Compare also Old High German galeipo (“messmate”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌱𐌰 (gahlaiba, “messmate”); and, for the semantics, compare Old Armenian ընկեր (ənker, “friend”, literally “messmate”). More at co-, loaf. Displaced native Old English ġefēra (literally “fellow traveler”). Compare company and mate.