BEFRIENDS Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

befriends

verb

present tense third-person singular of befriend

as in joins

to become a friend to (someone) He befriended the new student.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of befriends Neeson is like a friend of Meyers’s dad or the 40-year-old line cook who befriends a hostess at a Ruth’s Chris. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 The whale’s gullet is flickeringly lit by a bioluminescent jellyfish that Jay sort of befriends. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Other standouts include Manon Gage as a trouble-making hippie; a very hungry brown bear; Joy Suprano as a budding feminist who befriends Pamela; and a prolific TV presence who guest stars in the second half of the season. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026 But by incorporating the recurring ghost of Richie, a thirteen-year-old inmate who befriends the children—Ward combines the Southern Gothic with a socio-realist tradition in a voice that is both visceral and intimate. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, Doran’s inclusion of Nell (Sherry-Lee Watson), a gifted horse trainer of Aboriginal origins who befriends Sybylla, offers an alternate vision of female passion and defiance. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026 Set in 1964 and based on a true story, the film tells the tale of a young journalist who tracks down a potential Nazi officer living secretly in New York and befriends the suspect’s charming wife. — John Hopewell, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 The Housewife, directed by Ben Shirinian and written by Alyssa Hill, is based on a true story and set in 1964, when a young journalist who tracks down a potential Nazi officer living secretly in New York and befriends the suspect’s charming wife. — Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026 Upper-class Samantha befriends poor Nelly and changes her snobby grandmother’s opinion on Irish immigration. — Tara Strauch, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriends

joins

Verb

Maryland's Governor Wes Moore, who is endorsing an independent candidate in one key Senate race, joins me here on the studio.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
The deal joins a growing list of actions in which the Republican president has sided with Putin, often at Ukraine's expense.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026