Meanings
nouncompanion (plural companions)
plural companions
- A friend, acquaintance or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies
His dog has been his trusted companion for the last five years.
3 more examples
Heere are your Sonnes againe, and I muſt looſe / Two of the ſweet’ſt Companions in the World.
1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v], page 398, column 1The krogan have had a love-hate relationship with varren for millennia, alternately fighting them for territory and embracing them as treasured companions.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Varren Codex entryFor the most part, Hefner's female companions all adhered to the same mold: twentysomething, bosomy and blonde. "Well, I guess I know what I like," he once said when asked about his preferences.
2017 September 27, David Browne, “Hugh Hefner, 'Playboy' Founder, Dead at 91”, in Rolling Stone - nauticalThe framework on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship through which daylight entered the cabins below.
- nauticalThe covering of a hatchway on an upper deck which leads to the companionway; the stairs themselves.
- mathematicsA knot in whose neighborhood another, specified knot meets every meridian disk.
- figurativelyA person, thing or phenomenon that is closely associated with another person, thing or phenomenon.
- attributiveAn appended source of media or information, designed to be used in conjunction with and to enhance the main material.
The companion guide gives an in-depth analysis of this particular translation.
- astronomyA celestial object that is associated with another.
- A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders.
a companion of the Bath
- derogatoryobsoleteA fellow; a rogue.
[L]et vs knog our praines together to be reuenge on this ſame ſcall ſcuruy-cogging-companion the Hoſt of the Garter.
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 49, column 1, line 111
verbcompanion (third-person singular simple present companions, present participle companioning, simple past and past participle companioned)
present singular third person companions · participle present companioning · participle past companioned · past companioned
- obsoleteTo be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany.
we had better turn south quickly and compare the elements of education which formed , and of creation which companioned , Salvator .
1865, John Ruskin, Precious Thoughts - obsoleteTo qualify as a companion; to make equal.
Finde me to marrie me with Octauius Cæſar, and companion me with my Miſtris.
c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 341, column 1
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna friend who is frequently in the company of another
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*gahlaibô
- Frankish*galaibo
- Germanic
- Late Latincompāniōn-
- Old Frenchcompaignon“companion”
- Middle Englishcompanion
- Englishcompanion
From Middle English companion, from Old French compaignon (“companion”) (modern French compagnon), from Late Latin compāniōn- (nominative singular compāniō, whence French copain), from com- + pānis (literally, with + bread), a word first attested in the Frankish Lex Salica as a calque of a Germanic word, probably Frankish *galaibo, *gahlaibō (“messmate”, literally “with-bread”), from Proto-Germanic *gahlaibô. Compare also Old High German galeipo (“messmate”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌱𐌰 (gahlaiba, “messmate”); and, for the semantics, compare Old Armenian ընկեր (ənker, “friend”, literally “messmate”). More at co-, loaf. Displaced native Old English ġefēra (literally “fellow traveler”). Compare company and mate.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἑταῖρος, ἑταίρα
- ἑταῖρος (hetaîros)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- ἑταίρα (hetaíra)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Arabic صَاحِب, صَاحِبَة
- صَاحِب (ṣāḥib)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- صَاحِبَة (ṣāḥiba)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Basque lagun
- lagunsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Bengali সঙ্গী
- সঙ্গী (śoṅgi)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Bulgarian придружи́тел, придружи́телка
- придружи́тел (pridružítel)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- придружи́телка (pridružítelka)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- компаньо́н (kompanjón)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- компаньо́нка (kompanjónka)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Catalan acompanyant, company
- acompanyantsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- companysomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- companyasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Chinese Mandarin 伴侶 /伴侣, 同伴
- 伴侶 /伴侣 (bànlǚ)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- 同伴 (tóngbàn)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Czech společník, společnice
- společníksomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- společnicesomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Danish ledsager
- ledsagersomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Dutch metgezel
- metgezelsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Esperanto kunulo, kompano
- kunulosomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- kompanosomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Estonian kaaslane
- kaaslanesomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Finnish toveri, seuralainen
- toverisomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- seuralainensomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- kumppanisomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
French compagnon, compagne
- compagnonsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- compagnesomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
German Gefährte, Gefährtin
- Gefährtesomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- Gefährtinsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Greek σύντροφος
- σύντροφος (sýntrofos)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Hindi साथी, सहचर
- साथी (sāthī)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- सहचर (sahcar)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- सहचरी (sahacrī)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- हमसफ़र (hamsafar)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- हमराह (hamrāh)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Hungarian társ
- társsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Icelandic félagi
- félagisomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Indonesian teman
- temansomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Irish caidreamhach
- caidreamhachsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Italian amico, compagno
- amicosomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- compagnosomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Japanese 仲間, 友人
- 仲間 (nakama)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- 友人 (yūjin)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- 同伴者 (dōhansha)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Korean 동반자, 길벗
- 동반자 (dongbanja)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- 길벗 (gilbeot)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- 길동무 (gildongmu)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- 반려자 (ballyeoja)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Latin comes, socius
- comessomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- sociussomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Latvian pavadonis, biedrs
- pavadonissomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- biedrssomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- biedresomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- biedrenesomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Lithuanian palydovas, palydovė
- palydovassomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- palydovėsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Malay teman
- temansomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Māori takahoa
- takahoasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Norwegian Bokmål ledsager
- ledsagersomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Polish towarzysz, towarzyszka
- towarzyszsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- towarzyszkasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- kompansomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- kompankasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- wspólniksomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- wspólniczkasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Portuguese acompanhante, companheiro
- acompanhantesomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- companheirosomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Romanian tovarăș
- tovarășsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Russian това́рищ, компаньо́н
- това́рищ (továrišč)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- компаньо́н (kompanʹón)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- компаньо́нка (kompanʹónka)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- спу́тник (spútnik)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- спу́тница (spútnica)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Slovak spoločník, spoločnica
- spoločníksomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- spoločnicasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- spoločníčkasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Spanish compañero, compañera
- compañerosomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- compañerasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- cousínsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- parcerosomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- aseresomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- aceresomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- cherosomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Swahili rafiki
- rafikisomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Swedish följeslagare
- följeslagaresomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Tagalog apungot, kasama
- apungotsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- kasamasomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Thai สหาย
- สหาย (sà-hǎai)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Turkish yoldaş, arkadaş
- yoldaşsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- arkadaşsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- şeriksomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- ortaksomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Ukrainian компаньйо́н, компаньйо́нка
- компаньйо́н (kompanʹjón)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- компаньйо́нка (kompanʹjónka)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- това́риш (továryš)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- супу́тник (supútnyk)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- супу́тниця (supútnycja)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Urdu ساتھی, ہَمْسَفَر
- ساتھی (sāthī)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- ہَمْسَفَر (hamsafar)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- ہَمْراہ (hamrāh)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- شَرِیک (śarīk)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
- رَفِیق (rafīq)someone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Vietnamese bầu bạn
- bầu bạnsomeone with whom one spends time or keeps company
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with companion
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
companion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/companion
MLA
“companion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/companion. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “companion,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/companion.
Source: companion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.