befriend

present singular third person befriends · participle present befriending · participle past befriended · past befriended · first person past singular befriended · archaic present second person singular befriendest · past second person singular befriended · archaic past second person singular befriendedst · present singular third person befriends · archaic present singular third person befriendeth · past singular third person befriended · past plural befriended · past subjunctive befriended · participle present befriending · participle past befriended

1. alsofigurativelytransitiveTo become a friend of (someone), to make friends with (someone).

   Good Seruilius, vvill you befriend mee ſo farre, as to vſe mine ovvne vvords to him?

   c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 86, column 1

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   […] I was suddenly sensible of such sweet and beneficent society in Nature, […] Every little pine needle expanded and swelled with sympathy and befriended me.

   1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Solitude”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 143

   This particular trainer who had repeatedly befriended "Willie" [an elephant] in many other ways, left the circus for a short time and upon returning to the lot approached him, thinking "Willie" would remember him. As he drew near "Willie" knocked him down and wrapped his trunk around his body. Only the intervention of the entire menagerie force saved him.

   1937 May, Eddie Allen, “You’re Wrong about Elephants”, in H[enry] H[aven] Windsor, editor, Popular Mechanics Magazine, volume 67, number 5, Chicago, Ill.: Popular Mechanics Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 676, column 2

   Befriending one of the 112 managing directors was not enough; you had to befriend a managing director with clout. There was one small problem, of course. Bosses were not always eager to befriend trainees.

   1989, Michael Lewis, “Learning to Love Your Corporate Culture”, in Liar’s Poker: Rising through the Wreckage on Wall Street, New York, N.Y.; London: Penguin Books, published 1990, →ISBN, page 43

   "We had a professional relationship, whereas the previous vicar was a friend and had befriended me." / "Were you available to befriend people? You said it in a passive voice, as though others befriended you.

   1999, Jonathan Cole, “The Spectator”, in About Face (A Bradford Book), Cambridge, Mass.; London: The MIT Press, →ISBN, page 121

   Negative sibling relations or harmful friendships during the childhood or teen years could make the adult Loner fearful of friendships. […] If you want to befriend the Loner, you have to be willing to show patience as he becomes more comfortable with you and what friendship entails.

   2002, Jan Yager, “Detecting Harmful People before They’re Friends”, in When Friendship Hurts: How to Deal with Friends Who Betray, Abandon, or Wound You (A Fireside Book), New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, part 1 (Friendship: The Basics), page 47

   Antonyms: alienate, befoe, defriend, unfriend

2. transitivedated except social workTo act as a friend to (someone, especially a client) by providing companionship and support; to assist, to help.

   The social worker very clearly befriends the families with whom she works, and the GP becomes a friend to many of his patients.

   1989, Philip Burnard, “What is Counselling?”, in Counselling Skills for Health Professionals, London: Chapman and Hall, →ISBN, page 2

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   [B]e ſure employ ſome of the Servants to hold the Horſe vvhen your Maſter mounts. This I vvould have you do, vvhen your Maſter only alights, to call in for a fevv Minutes: For Brother-ſervants muſt alvvays befriend one another, and that alſo concerns your Maſter's Honour; becauſe he cannot do leſs than give a Piece of Money to him vvho holds his Horſe.

   1731 (date written; published 1745), [Jonathan] Swift, “Directions to the Groom”, in Directions to Servants […], London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], and M. Cooper, […], →OCLC, page 69

   [O]ne house, a red one, occupied by an Irish section boss, whose wife (my mother having befriended her years before when first she and her husband came to Sullivan) had now, at the time my mother was compelled to make this return pilgrimage, befriended us by letting us stay—mother and us three youngsters—until she could find a house.

   1916, Theodore Dreiser, “A Lush, Egyptian Land”, in A Hoosier Holiday, New York, N.Y.: John Lane; London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, →OCLC, page 417

   All [Benito] Mussolini's life is contradiction. He fled to Switzerland to escape military service, and there was befriended by the revolutionary, Angelica Balabanoff, who, pitying him in his misery and loneliness, befriended him, helping him translate a German pamphlet because he did not know the language.

   1939, Philip Lindsay, “Ruffians’ Hall Stands Open”, in A Mirror for Ruffians (Essay Index Reprint Series), Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press, published 1972, →ISBN, page 353

3. figurativelytransitiveTo benefit or favour (someone or something); also, to advocate or promote (someone or something).

   Novv if your plots be ripe, you are befriended / With opportunity; […]

   1641 (first performance), [John Denham], The Sophy. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act II, page 19

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   Hence therefore, euery leader to his charge, / For on their anſvvere vvill vve ſet on them, / And God befriend vs as our cauſe is juſt.

   c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], signature I3, recto

   Sooth[sayer]. […] [I]f it vvill pleaſe Cæſar / To be ſo good to Cæſar, as to heare me: / I ſhall beſeech him to befriend himſelfe. / Por[tia]. VVhy knovv'ſt thou any harme's intended tovvards him?

   1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], page 118, column 1

   Thy vſurie, extorting, racking, incloſing, hath vvounded vvhole Villages, and novv thou befriendeſt tvvo or three vvith the plaiſters of thy bountie.

   1608 May 11 (date delivered), Jos[eph] Hall, “Pharisaisme and Christianitie: Compared and Set foorth in a Sermon at Paules-Cross, May I. 1608.”, in A Recollection of Such Treatises as Haue Bene heretofore Seuerally Published and are Nowe Reuised, Corrected, Augmented. […], London: […] [Humfrey Lownes] for Arthur Iohnson, Samuel Macham and Laurence Lisle, published 1615, →OCLC, page 609

   Hovv greatly befriendeth he vs, that keepeth our houſe from falling, that vnderproppeth it vvith great cunning, and vpholdeth it in the aire, being cleft and vvinde-ſhaken from the very foundation: […]

   1614, Lucius Annaeus Seneca [i.e., Seneca the Younger], “Of Benefits. Chapter XV.”, in Thomas Lodge, transl., The Workes of Lucius Annæus Seneca, both Morrall and Naturall. […], London: […] William Stansby, →OCLC, 6th booke, page 122

   Be thou the firſt true Merit to befriend; / His praiſe is loſt, vvho ſtays till All commend; […]

   1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC, page 28