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longtime friend
/ˈlɔŋtaɪm frɛnd/
a friend for many years
She’s my longtime friend from college.
She has been my friend since college days.
neutral
a friend whom one has known for a long time
My longtime friend and I still meet every weekend.
A friend I’ve known for many years still meets with me weekly.
He’s not just a colleague; he’s a longtime friend.
He’s more than a coworker; we’ve been friends for years.
Emphasizes the duration of the friendship rather than the depth.
Collocations
longtime frienda friend of many yearslose a longtime friendto no longer be friends after many yearsreunite with a longtime friendto meet again after many years apart
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Avoid redundancy
While 'longtime friend' is correct, 'old friend' is more common in casual speech. Reserve 'longtime' for formal or descriptive contexts.
Gold Rule
Duration emphasis
Use 'longtime friend' only when the length of the friendship is the key detail, not the emotional closeness.
Word Origin
The phrase combines 'longtime' (from 'long' + '-time', first recorded in the 19th century) and 'friend' (Old English 'frēond', meaning 'lover, relative, or friend'). The compound form gained popularity in the 20th century to emphasize enduring relationships.
Usage Notes
Used to describe a friendship that has lasted for many years, often implying trust and familiarity. Common in both spoken and written English, especially in personal narratives and biographies.
Word Breakdown
longtime
lasting for a long time
compoundfriend
a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard
nounEnglish Dictionary