childhood friends
Youth's first allies
Childhood friends are people who formed a close bond during their early years, typically before adolescence.
The term implies a relationship of unusual duration and depth—someone you've known since you were small carries a different weight than friends made later: We've been childhood friends since kindergarten.
The phrase often appears when reconnecting after years apart or explaining why a bond persists despite distance or divergent paths.
- palsInformal term for companions
- buddiesInformal term for friends
- bestiesClosest companions, informally
- memoriesStored past experiences
- tagIdentifier or classifier
old photos · bike rides · sandbox · nostalgia · innocence · fort · pinky promise · bittersweet · lost touch · hideout · playmates · treehouse · school bus · companionship · chums · next door neighbor · adventures · sleepovers
- rom-comrom-com, romantic comedy, meet cute, meet-cute, love triangle
- romance fictionlove stories, romance novel, romance novels, contemporary romance, romantic fiction
- social tiespals, buddies, mates, companions, chums
- social connectionsneighbors, peers, coworkers, godparents, trusted adults
- Asian DramasK-drama, J-drama, Korean drama, Japanese drama, Chinese drama
- friendship in literaturecompanionship, loyalty, bonds, confidants, comrades
childhood friendsstrangers
People unknown to you
nodding acquaintances · fair-weather friends · contacts · followers
child, friend, friendly, friendship, children, childish, childhood, friends, childbirth