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old friends
/oʊld frɛndz/
people you have known for a long time
We met in college and have been old friends ever since.
The speaker refers to people they have maintained a long-term friendship with.
informal
people you have known and been friends with for many years
She invited all her old friends to the reunion.
She invited people she has known for a long time to the gathering.
Old friends often understand each other without words.
Long-term friends often share an intuitive understanding.
The phrase emphasizes the duration and familiarity of the friendship, not the age of the people involved.
Collocations
old frienda person you have known for a long timeclose old friendsfriends with whom you share a deep bondreconnect with old friendsto get back in touch with long-term friends
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Avoid literal interpretation
Do not confuse 'old' with age; it refers to the duration of the friendship, not the friends' ages.
Gold Rule
Context matters
In sentences like 'We are old friends,' it means long-term friendship, not that the friends are old.
Word Origin
The phrase combines 'old' (from Old English 'eald', meaning long-standing or ancient) and 'friends' (from Old English 'frēond', meaning one who is attached to another by affection or esteem). The term 'old friends' as a phrase has been used since at least the 17th century to denote enduring relationships.
Usage Notes
The phrase does not imply the friends are elderly; it refers to the length of the friendship. It is commonly used in both casual and sentimental contexts.
Word Breakdown
old
long-standing or existing for a long time
adjectivefriends
people with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
nounEnglish Dictionary