Act as or become a friend to (someone), especially when they are in need of help or support.
‘he makes a point of befriending newcomers to Parliament’
‘She befriended him and offered support after reading about the 1995 case in the news.’
‘While a supervision order is in force it is the duty of the supervisor to advise, assist and befriend a supervised child.’
‘Daniel befriended a girl on the way who had friends that would let him stay in their apartment.’
‘Barrie makes it his mission to support the family and to befriend Peter.’
‘On the other side I befriended this guy at work when I was only 16, he was 18 and was a Catholic.’
‘I was really the first one to befriend her, and protected her from the other pirates.’
‘He befriends this young boy, who hopes to remain friends following their hospital stay.’
‘When she first met Blake she'd pitied him because he only had a few friends, so she had befriended him.’
‘Robin stars as a disabled janitor who befriends a young boy.’
‘There, he befriends a deaf girl (Jack knows sign language!) and her hockey-playing brother.’
‘So he visits and befriends the traumatised boy.’
‘But gradually, he makes his way in a small Southern town where he gets a job as a mechanic, and befriends a young boy who is also an outsider.’
‘On a mission to win Mrs. Creswell over for Raymond, Archie befriends the elderly woman and the two become close pals.’
‘But things change when a woman beggar comes to the area and befriends him.’
‘Stuck in the jungle, our hero befriends a peasant named Pacha and together they attempt to return to the palace in order to restore his human form.’
‘He befriends Mary, and tells her how he found the precious papers.’
‘When a girl from the Bronx moves in next door and befriends her, Mooney's outlook changes.’
‘On New Year's Eve he meets their mother at a dinner party and subsequently befriends the family.’
‘Then she befriends her family's prisoner, and he shows her that a kite can fly.’
‘Torn between turning Henry in and befriending him, Carol chooses the latter - and tries to convince Henry to do ‘a job’ with her.’
make friends with, make a friend of, look after, protect, keep an eye on, support, back, stand by, side with, encourage, sustain, uphold, succour, advise, guide