How do you define the word friend?

friend  (frnd) n. 1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts. 2. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance. 3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade. 4. One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement: friends of the clean air movement. 5. Friend A member of the Society of Friends; a Quaker. tr.v. friend·ed, friend·ing, friends 1. To add (someone) as a friend on a social networking website. 2. Archaic To befriend. I found this definition online and, while all true, the description leaves a lot to be desired. To me, the emotions that come with the word 'friend' are both deep and complex, as I have always taken my time in the making of friends, and see them as part of my life, and part of my family, with all that this entails. Yes, I do have to get to know, to like, and to trust a person before I can consider them a friend and this, of course, means letting down those barriers we all have around us - those 'keep off', 'don't get too near', type of signals we throw out to give ourselves some breathing room in this overcrowded planet of ours. I've never been a one to surround myself with lots and lots of people, and to casually call them all my 'friends'.  To me, a friend is someone who is always there for you - and for whom you would do your utmost to be there for them, too.  A friend is the person you instinctively go to when something awesome, or terrible, happens in your life; they are the one person you can trust to tell you the truth, no matter what that truth may be, and who accepts those same truths back, with the honesty and love in which they are given. A friend is the person who, even if you haven't seen them for a long time, steps back into your life as if they had only been briefly in the next room to you. They are accepting of all your faults and foibles - while gently steering you back into the paths you need to tread - and are there to pick up the pieces when life sends you a whammy! A true friend is deserving of your total trust, of your affection and love, and of your full support when they, too, are in need of it, no matter how often, or for how long.  A true friend is the most difficult thing to find in these days of casual acquaintance and liaisons. I was lucky, and found a true friend 27 years ago, and we've been together through thick and thin, good and bad health, and everything life could throw at us - I'm so grateful for my true friend!