How to Use befriend in a Sentence

befriend

verb
  • He befriended the new student.
  • These agents could try to befriend them and gain their trust.
    — Peter Suciu, Forbes, 15 July 2022
  • My peers weren’t trying to befriend me or be kind to me.
    — J. Nailah Avery, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2021
  • The book ends when two children befriend a new kid at school named Omad.
    — Rochelle Olson, Star Tribune, 30 Oct. 2020
  • Rizzo, the wannabe pimp who befriends the naïve stud known as Joe Buck (played by Jon Voight).
    — Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Men crawl in their skin, nest in salt, and befriend darkness.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2019
  • In those years, Lum has befriended most of the owners of the major sports teams.
    — Jonathan Kauffman, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Nov. 2017
  • My husband would want to befriend someone and take the time needed to be with him.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2019
  • Here are four tips on how to befriend the discomfort of taking a risk.
    — Yec, Forbes, 15 June 2021
  • Josh meets and befriends the lovely Hannah, played by Sheila Vand.
    — Michael Heaton, cleveland.com, 13 Apr. 2018
  • Julie befriended a woman who was homeless, then spent the night with her in the West Side Boat Basin.
    — Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, 15 June 2024
  • Akers says the first scout leader to befriend and abuse him never did.
    — Tim Prudente, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2020
  • Akers says the first scout leader to befriend and abuse him never did.
    — Tim Prudente, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2020
  • Akers says the first scout leader to befriend and abuse him never did.
    — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 13 Nov. 2020
  • Akers says the first scout leader to befriend and abuse him never did.
    — Tim Prudente, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2020
  • Through Warhol and others in the downtown scene, Mr. Shore befriended artists in many fields.
    — Richard B. Woodward, WSJ, 30 Dec. 2017
  • The best way to keep an eye on your father might be to befriend his wife, as much as possible.
    — Ask Amy, al, 25 May 2019
  • Cassie befriends a racy classmate and starts running with the party crowd.
    — Laura Miller, Slate Magazine, 20 Sep. 2017
  • The white girl who befriended her, Paula White Adams, sat a table away at the sports bar, rooting on Gauff.
    — Dave Hyde, sun-sentinel.com, 6 July 2019
  • Albus befriends Scorpius and the two get up to the usual shenanigans.
    — Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, 21 Apr. 2018
  • Potts befriended the teenage boys, ages 14 and 15 at the time, and invited them to stay overnight at his apartment to play video games.
    — Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2019
  • It’s full of quests to complete, monsters to kill, and best of all, other players to befriend.
    — Matthew De Silva, Quartz, 22 Oct. 2019
  • So, bots befriend bots and then, voilà, the bot achieves general appeal.
    — Shiran Weitzman, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022
  • The boy soon befriends his landlord, nicknamed Old Fox.
    — Sara Merican, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2024
  • Even before Musk befriended Trump, SpaceX had been on quite a run.
    — Andrea Murphy, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
  • Seek out and befriend younger people besides your own age-mates.
    — Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2023
  • Vanessa always had a smile or kind word for those in need and befriended all.
    — Hartford Courant, courant.com, 28 May 2018
  • Mice and chimps seem to have the scent smarts to know immediately who to befriend and who to rebuff.
    — Sasha Warren, Scientific American, 24 June 2022
  • Moore befriended Shakespeare in 2008 under the pretense of writing a book about him, but the project never materialized.
    — Nicole Acosta, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Bella befriends a group at school but becomes fascinated by Edward, whose family is a mystery around town.
    — Francesca Gariano, People.com, 1 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'befriend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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