# backfriend

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbækˌfɹɛnd/

## Definitions
1. A friend who supports someone; a person who has someone's back; a backer, a supporter.
2. Synonym of hangnail (“a loose, narrow strip of nail tissue protruding from the side edge and anchored near the base of a fingernail or toenail”).
3. A person who pretends to be someone's friend; a false friend, a secret enemy.

## Etymology
From back (adverb or noun) + friend. Sense 3 (“person who pretends to be someone’s friend”) may allude to a person who stays back instead of coming forward to help, and so is not a true friend.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/backfriend