friend

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
2. n. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
3. n. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.
4. n. One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement: friends of the clean air movement.
5. n. A member of the Society of Friends; a Quaker.
6. v. Archaic To befriend.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. One who is attached to another by feelings of personal regard and preference; one who entertains for another sentiments which lead him to seek his company and to study to promote his welfare.
2. n. One not hostile; one of the same nation, party, or kin; one at amity with another; an ally: opposed to foe or enemy.
3. n. One who is favorable, as to a cause, institution, or class; a favorer or promoter: as, a friend of or to commerce; a friend of or to public schools.
4. n. Used as a term of salutation, or in familiar address.
5. n. [capitalized] A member of the Society of Friends; a Quaker.
6. n. A lover, of either sex.
7. n. In Scotslaw, a tutor or curator.
8. n. Synonyms Companion, Comrade, etc. See associate.
9. n. Patron, advocate, partizan, well-wisher.
10. To befriend.

Wiktionary

1. n. A person other than a family member, spouse or lover whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.
2. n. A boyfriend or girlfriend.
3. n. An associate who provides assistance.
4. n. A person with whom one is vaguely or indirectly acquainted
5. n. A person who backs or supports something.
6. n. informal An object or idea that can be used for good.
7. n. colloquial, sarcastic Used as a form of address when warning someone.
8. n. computing, programming In object-oriented programming, a function or class granted special access to the private and protected members of another class.
9. v. transitive, obsolete To act as a friend to, to befriend; to be friendly to, to help.
10. v. transitive To add (a person) to a list of friends on a social networking site; to officially designate (someone) as a friend.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. One who entertains for another such sentiments of esteem, respect, and affection that he seeks his society and welfare; a wellwisher; an intimate associate; sometimes, an attendant.
2. n. One not inimical or hostile; one not a foe or enemy; also, one of the same nation, party, kin, etc., whose friendly feelings may be assumed. The word is some times used as a term of friendly address.
3. n. One who looks propitiously on a cause, an institution, a project, and the like; a favorer; a promoter.
4. n. One of a religious sect characterized by disuse of outward rites and an ordained ministry, by simplicity of dress and speech, and esp. by opposition to war and a desire to live at peace with all men. They are popularly called Quakers.
5. n. obsolete A paramour of either sex.
6. v. obsolete To act as the friend of; to favor; to countenance; to befriend.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
2. n. a member of the Religious Society of Friends founded by George Fox (the Friends have never called themselves Quakers)
3. n. an associate who provides cooperation or assistance
4. n. a person who backs a politician or a team etc.
5. n. a person with whom you are acquainted