1. GOOD, BEST, DEAR, GREAT FRIEND
- Tom’s a good friend. I’m sure he’ll bail you out.
- ‘My best friend is a person who will give me a book I haven’t read.’ (Abraham Lincoln)
- He’s such a dear friend. He took me to Disneyland for my birthday.
- Even though my python and I are very different, we can still be great friends.
2. CLOSE, INTIMATE FRIEND
- Janet is my closest friend. She knows everything about me.
- We’ve only invited intimate friends to our wedding.
3. MUTUAL FRIEND
a friend of yours who is also a friend of somebody else you know
- It’s a shame that Ryan Gosling and I don’t have any mutual friends.
4. REAL, TRUE FRIEND
someone who is really your friend
- ‘Thank you for putting me up for the night.’ ‘Don’t mention it. Any real friend would have done the same.’
- Now that I’m a millionaire, I’m not sure who my true friends are anymore.
5. FAITHFUL, LOYAL FRIEND
a friend who will never let you down
- Faithful friends are hard to find.
- It’s easy to be a loyal friend. Just be there for your friend whenever he needs you.
6. OLD, LIFELONG FRIEND
a friend you’ve had for a long time, usually since you were children
- Old friends accept you for who you are, because they’ve known and loved you for a very long time.
- We’re lifelong friends. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
7. MALE, FEMALE FRIEND
- I’ve got lots of male friends. We hang out in the pub after work.
- Peter’s wife is so jealous, he’s not allowed to have any female friends.
8. CHILDHOOD, SCHOOL FRIEND
- My childhood friends are such a fun bunch of people. I love going out with them.
- I don’t know what my school friends are doing these days. We lost touch when we went to university.
9. FAMILY FRIEND
a friend who takes part in family parties and events
- My mum insists that I invite Aunt Audrey to my birthday party. Ugh! I hate family friends.
10. BECOME FRIENDS
start being friends
- Lizzie and I became friends immediately when we realized we were both wearing Sex Pistols T-shirts.
11. MAKE FRIENDS
become friends with people
- I’m not worried about Josh starting school. He makes friends easily.
12. REMAIN, STAY FRIENDS
not stop being friends with someone
- I’m surprised that George and Steve remained friends after what George had done.
- I’ve just broken up with Steve. I asked him if we could stay friends, but he said no.
13. WIN FRIENDS
make people support your ideas and become your friends
- If you want to win friends around here, just invite them for a barbecue.
14. A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
a circle of people who are connected through friendship
- I’m not sure what to do. My ex and I share the same circle of friends. How could I avoid meeting him?
15. FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND
a friend you can’t count on when you have problems
- Nobody stood by me when I got arrested. Apparently, I only had fair-weather friends at that time.
16. FALSE FRIEND
words that sound or look similar in two languages, but mean different things
- ‘Annoiato’ doesn’t mean ‘annoyed’ in Italian, it’s a false friend. It means ‘bored’.
17. LEARNED FRIEND
a title solicitors and barristers use in court to address each other
- As you may see, my learned friend has made several incorrect assumptions.
18. JUST GOOD FRIENDS
two people who are not having a romantic relationship
- ‘Zack and I are just good friends.’ ‘So, how come you two were kissing when I entered the room?’
19. A FRIEND OF MINE
refers to one of your friends
- I went to the gym after work with a friend of mine.
20. SPECIAL FRIEND
a very close friend (often used when talking about a friend you would like to go out with, but are afraid to ask)
- Lizzy is my special friend. I call her anytime I need some help with my homework.
