best friend

English

Etymology

From Middle English best frend, best freond, equivalent to best +‎ friend. Compare West Frisian bêste freon (“best friend”), Dutch beste vriend (“best friend”), German bester Freund (“best friend”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

best friend (plural best friends)

1. An especially close and trusted friend.
   • 1994, Penny Vincenzi, Wicked Pleasures‎^[1], →ISBN, page 46:

     I know you and Virginia are on best-friend terms.

   • 2001, Lauren, “To me a best friend is everything”, in Marilyn Kielbasa, Janet Claussen, editors, Listen for a Whisper: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections by Girls‎^[2], →ISBN:

     A best friend is always there for you, even when no one else is.

   • 2004, Kenneth D. George, Keeping Mr. Right‎^[3], →ISBN:

     Being best friends means giving up control and allowing ourselves to become vulnerable.

2. (informal) An object or concept considered very useful or helpful to someone.
   • 2005, Jeff Davidson, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Things Done, Penguin, →ISBN, page 212:

     You might even say, the bigger the problem, the greater your creative potential. The problem you're facing is your best friend because it will help to bring out the best in you.

   • 2006, Christopher Duncan, The Career Programmer: Guerilla^[sic] Tactics for an Imperfect World, Apress, →ISBN:

     As an entrepreneur, a conservative financial outlook is your best friend. Live to fight another day. Running a business also involves a host of legal issues. Talk to some people you respect and trust, get some recommendations, and hire a good lawyer and accountant.

   • 2010, Art Seamans, I See, Said the Blind Man, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 48:

     An instructor informed us that in battle, your rifle is your best friend.

3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see best,‎ friend.

Synonyms

• boon companion
• BFF
• bestie
• bosom friend

Antonyms

• worst enemy

Derived terms

• best friend forever

Related terms

• best girl
• best man

Translations

an especially close and trusted friend

• Arabic: أَفْضَل صَدِيق m (ʔafḍal ṣadīq), فُضْلَى صَدِيقَة f (fuḍlā ṣadīqa)
• Bulgarian: най-добъ́р прия́тел m (naj-dobǎ́r prijátel), най-добра́ прия́телка f (naj-dobrá prijátelka)
• Catalan: millor amic m, millor amiga f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 至交 (zh) (zhìjiāo), 好朋友 (zh)

• Dutch: beste vriend m, beste vriendin f
• Estonian: parim sõber
• Finnish: paras kaveri, bestis (fi) (informal)
• French: meilleur ami m, meilleure amie f
• German: bester Freund m, beste Freundin f
• Greek: κολλητός (el) m (kollitós), κολλητή (el) f (kollití)
• Hindi: सबसे अच्छा दोस्त (sabse acchā dost)
• Icelandic: besti vinur m, besta vinkona f
• Indonesian: sahabat (id)
• Irish: príomhchara m, dlúthchara m
• Korean: 절친(切親) (ko) (jeolchin), 베스트 프렌드 (beseuteu peurendeu)
• Malay: kawan rapat, sahabat rapat, teman rapat, rakan rapat, kawan karib, sahabat karib, teman karib, rakan karib
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: (also separable) bestevenn m, bestevenninne f

  Nynorsk: (also separable) besteven m, bestevenn m, besteveninne f, bestevenninne f

• Polish: przyjaciel (pl) m, przyjaciółka (pl) f
• Portuguese: melhor amigo m, melhores amigos m pl, melhor amiga f, melhores amigas f pl
• Romanian: cel mai bun prieten m, cea mai bună prietenă f
• Russian: прия́тель (ru) m (prijátelʹ), прия́тельница (ru) f (prijátelʹnica)
• Sorbian:

  Upper Sorbian: najlěpši přećel m, najlěpša přećelka f

• Spanish: mejor amigo m, mejor amiga f
• Swedish: bästa vän c, bäste vän c, bästis (sv) c
• Tagalog: matalik na kaibigan, beshie, bes
• Tamil: நெருங்கிய நண்பன் (neruṅkiya naṇpaṉ), சிறந்த நண்பன் (ciṟanta naṇpaṉ)
• Turkish: kanka (tr)
• Ukrainian: найкра́щий друг m (najkráščyj druh)
• Welsh: ffrind pennaf m