friends in high places
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
People in senior positions who are able and willing to use their influence on your behalf.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Eva marshalled MPs, various lords and ladies, any of her friends in high places who sympathised with the cause, to lobby in their defence.
Probably a few friends in high places but it would be better to recruit them instead.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “friends in high places” mean?
People in senior positions who are able and willing to use their influence on your behalf.
Is “friends in high places” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.