Menu
Find words

friend

/fɹɛnd/
nounverb

FRIEND meaning: a person whose company you enjoy; the six-letter word scores 10 points in Scrabble.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. A person, typically someone other than a family member, spouse or lover, whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.

    “John and I have been friends ever since we were roommates at college.”

  2. An associate who provides assistance; patron, mentor.

    “The Automobile Association is every motorist's friend. The police is every law-abiding citizen's friend.”

  3. A person with whom one is vaguely or indirectly acquainted.

    “a friend of a friend”

  4. A person who backs or supports something.

    “I’m not a friend of cheap wine.”

Verb 1 meaning

  1. To add (a person) to a list of friends on a social networking site; to officially designate (someone) as a friend.

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English freend, frend, frende, freynde, friend, frind, frond, frund, vrend, vryend, from Old English frēond, frīond (“friend”, literally “loving [one], lover”), from Proto-West Germanic *friund, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndz (“friend, loved one”), from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (“to please; to love”), roughly equivalent to free + -nd.

Similar and opposite words

Similar
acquaintancecontactadmirerboosterchampionprotagonistsupporterbuster
Opposite
enemystrangerfoecreepfiendjerk

FRIEND is a familiar six-letter word with an unusual game profile: three rearrangements use the same tiles, but only one listed word sits a single letter away. Its everyday meaning covers a person you feel affection for, while its Scrabble total is shaped heavily by the opening F. Those details make it more than a simple definition lookup.

FRIEND at a glance

  • FRIEND has six letters and a 10-point Scrabble face value before any board bonuses.
  • F contributes 4 points; R, I, E and N add 1 each, and D adds 2.
  • Its three anagrams are FINDER, REDFIN and REFIND.
  • FRIAND is the only listed one-letter neighbour: it differs from FRIEND by one tile.

What does FRIEND mean?

A friend is typically someone outside your family or romantic relationships whose company you enjoy and toward whom you feel affection. The definition also includes an associate who offers support, a mentor or patron, and someone you know only indirectly.

The word can describe a person who backs a cause, too. That broader sense gives FRIEND more range than a label for a close companion, while its familiar spelling and six-letter length make it easy to recognize in a rack.

FRIEND meaning, anagrams and rhymes

FINDER, REDFIN and REFIND rearrange all six letters without adding or dropping a tile. FINDER is the most familiar everyday option; REDFIN names a kind of fish, and REFIND means to find again. Check the word list used by your game before playing less familiar entries.

The only one-letter neighbour is FRIAND, so there is no long chain of near-identical spellings to memorize. FRIEND also shares its end sound with words such as SEND, SPEND, WEEKEND, BOYFRIEND and DEFEND. Those rhymes can spark a word search, but they are not anagrams: their letters and lengths differ.

Rhymes with friend

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • FRIAND10

Questions people ask

How many points is FRIEND worth in Scrabble?
FRIEND is worth 10 points before board bonuses. The F supplies 4 points, D supplies 2, and R, I, E and N each contribute 1. A letter or word premium square can change the score on a particular play.
What are the anagrams of FRIEND?
The three anagrams of FRIEND are FINDER, REDFIN and REFIND. Each uses the same six letters exactly once. FINDER is the familiar everyday word; REDFIN and REFIND are less common, so check the word list for your game.
Is FRIEND accepted in Scrabble?
Yes. FRIEND appears in Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE, the word lists represented for this entry. It scores 10 points from its letter values before premiums, and its meaning includes both a close companion and a person who supports a cause.

Keep going