Happy International Friendship Day! 30 July is International Day of Friendship. The United Nations started marking this day in 2011 to promote the idea that friendship across people, countries and cultures can help build peace and stronger communities. Friends play such an important role in our lives, so it’s no surprise they’re also a common topic in the IELTS test. Whether you're writing a letter to a friend in the IELTS General Training test or talking about your friends in the IELTS Speaking test, your vocabulary choices can help boost your final score. In this guide, we’ll help you expand your vocabulary by giving you the best collocations, synonyms, idioms, and phrasal verbs to describe friendships.
IELTS vocabulary tips: collocations for describing friends
A collocation is two or more words that are often used together naturally.
For example, you would say:
“When he moved abroad, he made a lot of new friends.” ✓
NOT:
“When he moved abroad, he found a lot of new friends.” X
There are different types of collocations. For instance:
Verb + noun = make friends/make a friend
Adjective + noun = old friend
Verbs that are commonly used with the word 'friend.'
Adjectives that are commonly used with the word 'friend.'
Let’s look at how you could use some of these in sentences:
“We became friends on the first day of university after we realised we were in the same course.”
“I lost a few friends after high school because we all went to different universities and drifted apart.”
Even after I left the company, we remained friends and still talk regularly.
“We’re childhood friends who grew up on the same street.”
“We met through a mutual friend at a birthday party.”
“Lifelong friends are the ones you don’t need to talk to every day, but when you do, it feels like nothing has changed.”
Learning collocations is a key part of building your English vocabulary because they help you express ideas in a natural, fluent way. They also give you more options for saying things clearly and accurately by offering expressions that are more specific or descriptive.
Avoid repeating the word ‘friend’ with one of these synonyms
Looking for another way to say ‘friend’? Why not try using one of the synonyms in the table below.
Synonym | Tone and use | Example sentences |
|---|---|---|
mate | Informal. Common in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. | “I went to the game with some mates.” |
buddy | Informal. Sometimes shortened to ‘bud’ in the USA. | "She’s my workout buddy at the gym." “Thanks for the ride, bud.” |
pal | Informal | "We’ve been pals for years." |
bestie | Informal. Used to describe a best friend. | "A quick call with my bestie always puts me in a good mood." |
companion | Formal. Used to describe a person or animal who spends a lot of time with someone. | “His dog is his closest companion.” |
IELTS Vocabulary: Friendship idioms for the Speaking test
Using idiomatic language can help you improve your IELTS Speaking score as it shows the examiner you can use a wider range of vocabulary.
An idiom is a group of words with a meaning that is different from the meanings of the individual words. It’s a phrase used in a non-literal way, for example ‘to be on the same wavelength.’
In the table below we’ve included this expression and other idioms you can use to talk about friendship in your IELTS Speaking test.
Idiom | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
to be on the same wavelength | To understand each other well and think in a similar way. | "It’s easy working with her because we’re always on the same wavelength." |
to hit it off | To have a good connection with someone immediately, especially when you first meet them. | "I introduced my cousin to my housemate, and they hit it off right away.” |
to break the ice | To do or say something to make people feel more comfortable in a social situation, especially when they don’t know each other well. | "I was nervous at the party, but asking about their favourite movies really helped break the ice." |
to go way back | To have known someone for a very long time, often since childhood or many years ago. | "Mark and I go way back, long before either of us had families or careers." |
to have someone's back | To support someone and be ready to help or defend them, especially in difficult situations. | "She’s the kind of friend who’ll have your back, no questions asked." |
Everyday phrasal verbs to describe friends and relationships
Phrasal verbs are verbs combined with an adverb or a preposition. They can have two or three parts. Like idioms, phrasal verbs usually mean something different from what the individual words mean when they’re used on their own.
We use phrasal verbs all the time in everyday English, especially in conversation.
You can also use phrasal verbs in informal writing—like messages, letters or emails to friends. But usually, you wouldn’t use phrasal verbs in formal writing, like essays.
The phrasal verbs in the table below are all inseparable, which means you can’t put an object between the different parts. If they take an object, it needs to come after the phrasal verb.
Phasal verb | Meaning | How to use | Example sentences |
|---|---|---|---|
hang out/hang out with someone | To spend a lot of time in a place or with someone | Hang out (no object) Hang out with + object | “Where do you usually hang out? “I sometimes hang out with my classmates at the cafe on campus” |
catch up/catch up with someone. | To meet someone you haven’t seen for a while to see what they have been doing | Catch up (no object) Catch up with + object | “Shall we catch up on Saturday?”
“I caught up with Matthew last night.” |
fall out/fall out with someone | To stop being friendly with someone because you have had a disagreement about something. | Fall out (no object) Fall out with + object | "I haven’t spoken to her in months—we fell out after that trip." “He fell out with his brother-in-law over money.” |
grow apart | When you gradually begin to feel less close to someone in a friendship or another type of relationship | No object | “We used to be best friends, but grew apart when he moved to a different city.”
“It’s sad when old friends grow apart.” |
get along/ get along with someone | To have a good relationship with someone. | Get along (no object)
Get along with + object | "Do you and your roommate get along?" "I’m lucky to get along with almost everyone in my team." |
Friends and social media vocabulary
Have you ever wondered what people mean when they say things like ‘BFF’ on social media?
Phrases like this are part of everyday English online when people talk about friends and social connections. You might not need them for your IELTS test, but learning this vocabulary can help you feel confident when using social media or chatting with people in real life.
Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
BFF | A way of referring to someone’s best friend. An abbreviation for ‘best friend forever.’ | “I just posted a photo with my BFF.” |
to send someone a friend request | To ask someone to be your friend on a social media site or app such as Facebook. | "I sent her a friend request after we met at the concert." |
to unfriend someone | To remove someone from your feed or list of friends on social media. | "I decided to unfriend a few people on Instagram to clean up my feed. |
to add someone | To include a person in your social media friends or contacts list. | "Add me on TikTok if you want to see my latest dance challenges!" |
to tag someone | To mention or identify a friend in a post or photo by linking their profile. | "I tagged all my friends in the event invite so they won’t miss the party." |
Using a wide range of vocabulary not only shows that you can use English flexibly in the IELTS test, but it also prepares you for socialising in real-world situations.
Whether you're chatting with colleagues, classmates, neighbours or friends, having the right words makes it easier to connect and join conversations naturally.
Looking for IELTS vocabulary exercises? Download the IELTS by IDP app and visit our quiz section.
IELTS Vocabulary: FAQs
Read the answers to frequently asked questions about IELTS vocabulary.