noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ great , important , key , powerful , strong
▪ close
▪
Charles remained a close ~ of the French king.
▪ loyal , reliable , staunch , trusted
▪ natural , strategic , useful , valuable
▪ long-time ( esp. AmE ), old , traditional
▪
Portugal is a traditional ~ of England.
▪ erstwhile , former
▪ wartime
▪ potential
▪ European , NATO , Western , etc.
▪ political
VERB + ALLY
▪ have
▪
Lois felt that she had an ~.
▪ find , gain , get
▪ alienate , lose
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ against
▪
He now had an ~ against his boss.
PHRASES
▪ find an ~ in sb , have an ~ in sb
▪
She had found an ~ in her old teacher.
▪ a friend and ~
▪
a friend and ~ of the president