Friend
Friend noun - A person who has a strong liking for and trust in another.
Usage example: really close friends who like to do everything together and are always sharing secrets
Mate is a synonym for friend (British) in companion topic. In some cases you can use "Mate" instead a noun "Friend", when it comes to topics like love, fellow, buddy, confidant. informal substitute
Mate
Mate noun - A person frequently seen in the company of another.
Usage example: that lout and his mates are known troublemakers in the neighborhood
Friend is a synonym for mate (British) in love topic. You can use "Friend" instead a noun "Mate", if it concerns topics such as fellow, partner, companion, buddy. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
Both words in one sentence
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This can cause confusion when two dwarves like each other and need to delicately find out if they have met a friend or a mate.
Source: Samus Is a Girl -
Hulking and powerful but simple-minded and little-appreciated by his peers, his relationship with his best friend/mate Bollikin is one of the most Sweet Dreams Fuel-inducing parts of the otherwise bleak Elder Wars.
Source: Gentle Giant - Me old China: Mate or friend ("China plate" mate).
Source: Useful Notes / British English
Cite this Source
Mate and Friend. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 18, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/friend/mate
Friend & Mate. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/friend/mate>.
Mate or Friend. 2016. Accessed August 18, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/friend/mate.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "friend" and "mate" have occurred on timeline