ac ‧ quaint ‧ ance /əˈkweɪnt ə ns/ BrE AmE noun
1 . SOMEBODY YOU KNOW [countable] someone you know, but who is not a close friend:
She was a casual acquaintance of my family in Vienna.
He heard about the job through a mutual acquaintance (=someone you and another person both know) .
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say someone I know rather than an acquaintance :
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I got the job through someone I know.
2 . RELATIONSHIP [singular, uncountable] a relationship with someone you know, but who is not a close friend:
They developed an acquaintance over the Internet.
You can’t judge her on such short acquaintance (=when you have not known her long) .
My uncle did not improve on further acquaintance (=when you knew him better) .
3 . make sb’s acquaintance formal to meet someone for the first time:
I should be delighted to make Mrs McGough’s acquaintance.
At the hotel, I made the acquaintance of a young American actor.
4 . KNOWLEDGE [uncountable] formal knowledge or experience of a particular subject
acquaintance with
The practice of a lawyer requires acquaintance with court procedures.
have a passing/nodding acquaintance with something (=have only slight knowledge or experience of something)
He has a passing acquaintance with a lot of different subjects.
5 . of your acquaintance formal a person of your acquaintance is someone that you know:
The poems were written by various women of her acquaintance.
6 . on first acquaintance formal when you meet someone for the first time:
Most people are nicer than you think on first acquaintance.
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THESAURUS
▪ friend someone who you know and like very much and enjoy spending time with:
Dad, this is my friend Steve.
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She’s going to Palm Springs with some friends.
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I got a letter from a friend from college.
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Amy’s a close friend of mine.
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John was a really good friend to me when I had all those problems last year.
▪ acquaintance /əˈkweɪnt ə ns/ someone who you know and see sometimes, but who is not one of your close friends:
We borrowed the money from one of Paul’s business acquaintances.
▪ mate British English informal a friend – used especially about boys or men:
He always goes to the pub with his mates on Friday night.
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Terry’s an old mate of mine.
▪ buddy American English informal a friend – used especially about men or young people:
He’s out playing basketball with some of his high school buddies.
▪ pal informal a friend – pal sounds rather old-fashioned:
They met at school and have remained close pals.
▪ crony [usually plural] disapproving a friend – used about powerful people who will help each other even if it is slightly dishonest:
He’s one of the President’s cronies.
▪ companion written someone who spends time with you, doing the same things as you – used about animals as well as people:
travelling companions
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His dog was his constant companion.
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the perfect companion
▪ the girls informal a woman’s female friends:
We’re having a girls’ night out.
▪ the lads British English informal a man’s male friends:
a night out with the lads