friend
part of speech
noun (friend, friends); verb (friend — to add someone online; unfriend)
meaning for a pupil
1) A friend is a person you like and who likes you, who you enjoy being with. tree →
2) A friend is a person who helps or supports you: a friend of the planet. tree →
3) To friend someone online is to add them to your list; to unfriend is to remove them. tree →
4) (casual) Chatty words for a friend: mate (UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ), buddy and pal (US, Canada), bestie, bro, bud, BFF (best friend forever). tree →
5) (casual) «Mate» or «buddy» can also be said to a stranger, friendly or with a warning: «Oi, mate, that's my seat.» tree →
6) (casual) «Just friends» means not boyfriend and girlfriend. tree →
7) (formal) The exam voice says «companion», «associate», «acquaintance», «peer», «a fellow pupil». tree →
sense in the lessons
the person who gives or receives, or who gets an equal share («gives 7 to a friend» = subtract, «shares among 4 friends» = divide); in everyday life making friends, best friend, being a good friend; in online safety, only accept friends you know in real life; in casual talk «mate», «bestie», «bro»; in gossip «they're not friends any more»; in the exam voice «his four companions», «a peer», «an associate»
examples
- Anna has 13 shells. Anna gives 7 shells to a friend. How many shells are left? tree →
- A friend gives Anna 5 more stickers. tree →
- Raj shares 16 sweets among 4 friends. tree →
- Lily is my best friend. tree →
- Be a good friend and share your toys. tree →
- I made a new friend at the park. tree →
- A dog can be a great friend. tree →
- Only chat online with friends you know in real life. tree →
- me n 3 mates going to the pool, 4 tickets pls tree →
- Oi mate, that's my seat, shove off. tree →
- Did you hear? Mia and Zoe aren't friends any more. tree →
- Raj distributes 16 confections equally amongst his 4 companions; state the number received by each companion. tree →
- Piraeus is my very best friend." tree →
note
Spelling: «i» before «e»: f-r-i-e-n-d. Check the direction: «gives … to a friend» = subtract; «a friend gives you more» = add; «among N friends» = divide. Trap: «she and 3 friends» or «me and 3 mates» is 4 people, not 3. «mate» and «buddy» said to a stranger are not a sign of friendship; the tone tells if it is friendly or a warning. «companions» in an exam are just friends.
In the corpora
- Lending money to friends can cause arguments, so many grown-ups only lend what they could afford to lose.
- Bridesmaids are friends or relatives who help the bride and walk with her, and children can be flower girls or page boys.
- Coming home with flowers the day after a row is making up, a way of saying sorry and wanting to be friends again.
- Labour can take many hours, so a grandparent or friend often comes to look after the older children.
- A funeral is a ceremony where family and friends say goodbye to someone who has died.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «friend» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.