Close Friend: Meaning, Examples & Usage

Meaning 1：intimate companion (close friend)

close friend 🔊

/kloʊs frend/

A friend you know very well and trust completely, like family.

Close friend laughing on park bench sharing drink warm sunlight

intimate companion 🔊

➕

/ˈɪntɪmət kəmˈpænjən/

A person with whom one has a very strong, trusting, and affectionate relationship, often considered part of one's inner circle.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Close (Old French 'clos') + friend (Old English 'freond'), meaning a trusted companion.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a CLOSE door and a FRIEND knocking—you let them in because they are special.

📖 Example

I told only my close friend about the surprise party I'm planning for my sister. 🔊 I told only my close friend about the surprise party I'm planning for my sister.

🔗 Collocations

childhood close friend – a close friend known since childhood

trusted close friend – a close friend who is fully reliable

become close friends – to develop a close friendship with someone

🔄 Synonyms

confidant (n.) – a person with whom one shares private matters and secrets

bosom friend (n.) – a very dear and intimate friend

intimate (n.) – a person with whom one has a very close personal relationship

🚫 Antonyms

stranger (n.) – a person whom one does not know

acquaintance (n.) – a person known slightly, but not a close friend

enemy (n.) – a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone

🌱 Derivatives

closeness (n.) – the state of being close in relationship

friendship (n.) – the emotion or relationship of being friends

📖 Cultural Story

The phrase 'close friend' has been used since the 16th century to denote a person with whom one shares deep emotional bonds, often replacing the older term 'familiar friend'.