English Reference
Idiom idiom

friendship with benefits


A platonic friendship where the partners engage in sexual activities, but do not consider themselves a couple.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

They are in a friendship with benefits and keep things casual.

CONTEXTUAL

He worried that starting a friendship with benefits would eventually ruin their long-term platonic connection.

COMPLEX

While they initially agreed to a friendship with benefits, the emotional complexity of their arrangement soon made it impossible to maintain a strictly casual boundary.


Related idioms1entry
  1. 01

    friend with benefits

    A friend with whom one has a casual sexual relationship.

Last updated August 10, 2026