friend zone
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The situation in which one is viewed by a potential partner as a platonic friend, which complicates the initiation of a romantic relationship.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
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Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Every platonic friend I got is some woman I was tryin' to fuck, I made a wrong turn somewhere, and ended up in the friend zone.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “friend zone” mean?
The situation in which one is viewed by a potential partner as a platonic friend, which complicates the initiation of a romantic relationship.
Is “friend zone” formal or informal?
friend zone is generally slang.