A companion is someone who you spend time with or who you are travelling with.
Fred had been her constant companion for the last six years of her life.
I asked my travelling companion what he thought of the situation.
Synonyms: friend, partner, ally, colleague More Synonyms of companion
More Synonyms of companion
companion in British English1
(kəmˈpænjən)
noun
1.
a person who is an associate of another or others; comrade
2.
(esp formerly) an employee, usually a woman, who provides company for an employer, esp an elderly woman
3.
a.
one of a pair; match
b.
(as modifier)
a companion volume
4.
a guidebook or handbook
5.
a member of the lowest rank of any of certain orders of knighthood
6. astronomy
the fainter of the two components of a double star
verb
7. (transitive)
to accompany or be a companion to
Derived forms
companionless (comˈpanionless)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Late Latin compāniō, literally: one who eats bread with another, from Latin com- with + pānis bread
companion in British English2
(kəmˈpænjən)
noun
nautical
a.
a raised frame on an upper deck with windows to give light to the deck below
b.
(as modifier)
a companion ladder
Word origin
C18: from Dutch kompanje quarterdeck, from Old French compagne, from Old Italian compagna pantry, perhaps ultimately from Latin pānis bread
companion in American English1
(kəmˈpænjən)
noun
1.
a person who associates with or accompanies another or others; associate; comrade
2.
a person employed to live or travel with another
3.
either of two persons not married to each other but otherwise in an intimate, spouse-like relationship: often, specif., used when the persons are of the same sex
4. [C-]
a member of the lowest rank in an order of knighthood
5.
a thing that matches another in sort, color, etc.; one of a pair or set
6.
a handbook on a specific subject
a companion to French literature
7. Obsolete
a scoundrel
verb transitive
8.
to accompany
SIMILAR WORDS: asˈsociˌate
Word origin
ME compainoun < OFr compagnon < VL *companio, lit., bread fellow, messmate (calque of Goth gahlaiba, one who eats of the same bread < ga-, with + hlaifs, bread, loaf1) < L com-, with + panis, bread
companion in American English2
(kəmˈpænjən)
noun Nautical
1.
the covering at the head of a companionway
2.
companionway
Word origin
Du kampanje, quarterdeck < OFr compagne, steward's room in a galley < It (camera della) compagna, (room of the) company, crew < VL compania: see company
Examples of 'companion' in a sentence
companion
It can be a companion in dark times.
The Sun (2016)
Sailing in a little herring boat, it him and his six companions more than two years.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They love a lap and a cuddle, making them the perfect companion for older people.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Tell us about your book that serves as a companion to the album?
The Sun (2013)
This book is the perfect companion to help you do that.
The Sun (2012)
The agonies of the heart and anguish of the mind were often your companions in life.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It is not clear whether one of the victims was the new companion of the woman.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This fan has been my constant companion.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
His two companions were taken to hospital critically ill.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Now we are like westerners and want one as a companion.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Research shows that some young men alter their driving to impress female companions.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He passed the time with his companions.
John Freely JEM SULTAN: The Adventures of a Captive Turkish Prince in Renaissance Europe (2004)
Think of the cost of taking a companion along to accompany you too.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She was such a great companion and friend.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The album also serves as a perfect studio companion to his compelling live acoustic shows.
The Sun (2014)
Internal uncertainty and external scrutiny are constant companions.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Edward half concealed himself behind one of his companions that he might gaze upon her without reserve.
Frederick Marryat The Children of the New Forest (1847)
He was popular with women and was rarely seen without a female companion.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Food can easily become a companion at these times.
Wilkinson, Helena Beyond Chaotic Eating (1993)
She greets my companion like a friend and recalls meeting him in a casino.
The Sun (2011)
She is the perfect lover and companion.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Anyway, logic can be a dull companion through life.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It was more than being a life companion - it was being a companion in what he wasdoing.
The Times Literary Supplement (2008)
These are the AI companions that accompany you and aid you in combat.
The Sun (2012)
If there is a companion star, it must have a period of orbit in which it repeats the steps of a dance with the sun.
Radford, Tim & Leggett, Jeremy The Crisis of Life on Earth - our legacy from the second millenium (1990)
It lacks the stunning harmonies of Fleet Foxes but is a worthy companion album.
The Sun (2009)
In other languages
companion
British English: companion /kəmˈpænjən/ NOUN
A companion is someone who you spend time with or travel with.
He has been her constant companion recently.
American English: companion
Arabic: صَاحِب
Brazilian Portuguese: companheiro
Chinese: 同伴
Croatian: pratilac
Czech: společník
Danish: ledsager
Dutch: metgezel
European Spanish: compañero
Finnish: kumppani
French: compagnon
German: Begleiter
Greek: συνοδός
Italian: compagno
Japanese: 仲間
Korean: 동반자
Norwegian: ledsager
Polish: towarzysz
European Portuguese: companheiro
Romanian: tovarășde drum
Russian: попутчик
Latin American Spanish: compañero
Swedish: följeslagare
Thai: เพื่อนเดินทาง
Turkish: arkadaş
Ukrainian: супутник
Vietnamese: bạn đồng hành
All related terms of 'companion'
companion set
a set of fire irons on a stand
boon companion
a close and constant friend
companion hatch
a stairway or ladder leading from one deck to another in a boat or ship
companion piece
a subsidiary object, esp a work of art or piece of writing, that accompanies another
free companion
(in medieval Europe) a member of a company of mercenary soldiers
companion animal
an animal kept as a pet
companion ladder
a ladder that allows sailors to move up and down between the decks of the ship
companion volume
a book that complements another on a related subject, usually by the same author
native companion
a large grey Australian crane , Grus rubicunda , having a red-and-green head and a trumpeting call
stable companion
a horse that shares the same stable as another horse
Chinese translation of 'companion'
companion
(kəmˈpænjən)
n(c)
同伴 (tóngbàn) (位, wèi)
1 (noun)
Definition
a person who associates with or accompanies someone
He has been her constant companion for the last six years.
Synonyms
friend
I had a long talk with my best friend.
partner
They were partners in crime.
ally
She is a close ally of the Prime Minister.
colleague
Three of my colleagues have been made redundant.
associate
the restaurant owner's business associates
mate (informal)
A mate of mine used to play soccer for Liverpool.
gossip (archaic)
buddy (informal)
We became great buddies.
comrade
Unlike so many of his comrades, he survived the war.
accomplice
His accomplice was arrested after a high-speed car chase.
crony
his weekend drinking sessions with his cronies
confederate
The conspirators were joined by their confederates.
plus-one (informal)
consort
Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert
main man (slang, mainly US)
homeboy (slang, mainly US)
cobber (Australian, New Zealand, old-fashioned, informal)
He was just acting big in front of his cobbers.
2 (noun)
Definition
a woman paid to live or travel with another woman
She was employed as companion to a wealthy old woman.
Synonyms
assistant
He had been accompanied to the meeting by an assistant.
aide
a close aide to the prime minister
escort
My sister needed an escort for a company dinner.
attendant
He was working as a car-park attendant.
squire
chaperon
duenna
3 (noun)
Definition
one of a pair
The book was written as the companion to a trilogy of television documentaries.
Synonyms
complement
The green wallpaper is the perfect complement to the old pine of the dresser.
match
Moira was a perfect match for him.
fellow
mate
The guest cabin is a mirror image of its mate.
twin
the twin of the chair she had at the cottage
counterpart
It is unlikely that his counterpart in India will disagree with him at this point.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of accomplice
Definition
a person who helps someone else commit a crime
His accomplice was arrested after a high-speed car chase.
Synonyms
partner in crime,
ally,
associate,
assistant,
companion,
accessory,
comrade,
helper,
colleague,
collaborator,
confederate,
or woman or person">henchman or woman or person,
coadjutor,
abettor
in the sense of aide
Definition
an assistant
a close aide to the prime minister
Synonyms
assistant,
supporter,
deputy,
attendant,
helper,
or woman or person">henchman or woman or person,
right-hand man or woman or person,
adjutant,
second,
helpmate,
coadjutor (rare)
in the sense of ally
Definition
a country, person, or group with an agreement to support another
She is a close ally of the Prime Minister.
Synonyms
partner,
friend,
colleague,
associate,
mate (informal),
or blud">blood or blud (British, slang),
accessory,
comrade,
helper,
collaborator,
accomplice,
confederate,
co-worker,
main man (slang, US),
bedfellow,
cobber (Australian, New Zealand, old-fashioned, informal),