Friendship & Reconciliation: English Vocabulary List

regardless of the difficulty or circumstances

"We have been friends through thick and thin."

"My best friend has stood by me through thick and thin for more than thirty years now."

a two-sided relationship in which two people greet each other or have casual conversations

"They are on speaking terms."

"Despite their past disagreements, the colleagues were now on speaking terms and worked together amicably."

having an enjoyable or friendly relationship with someone and be able to make good interactions with them

"They are on good terms with their neighbors."

"Even after their divorce my parents remain on friendly terms and still speak to each other regularly."

to repair or restore one's relationships, especially after a period of tension or conflict

"He will mend his fences."

"After their big argument he tried to mend his fences with his brother by apologizing sincerely."

to make oneself feel relaxed and comfortable without caring for formalities

"Make yourself at home."

"Please make yourself at home and help yourself to anything you need."

to do something to compensate for a previous mistake, offense, or wrongdoing and to attempt to regain the person's trust or forgiveness

"I will make it up to you, I promise."

"I know I ruined your birthday party but let me make it up to you by taking you out for dinner."

to sort out one's differences with someone after an argument or disagreement

"They kissed and made up yesterday."

"After a long argument, the couple decided to kiss and make up and move forward."

used to refer to two people who are considered inseparable

"Those two are joined at the hip."

"The two sisters are joined at the hip and do absolutely everything together from shopping to travelling."

to have been present for a long time, as in conflicts or business

"Our businesses go back."

"The two rival companies go back a long way, with a history of intense competition."

(of two or more parties) to agree with each other's terms or opinions in order to reach an agreement

"All relationships require give and take."

"A healthy marriage requires both partners to learn how to give and take on a daily basis."

used to refer to something that is done just to make one feel less alone

"I bought a dog for company."

"She adopted a cat for company because she lived alone in a big house after her husband passed away."

to establish a friendship between people or parties

"We need to build bridges between the two groups."

"The new manager is trying to build bridges between the sales and marketing departments who have been fighting for months."

to be very close to someone and spend most of one's time with them

"They live in each other's pocket."

"The inseparable best friends seem to live in each other's pockets, always together."

(of people) having a close and trusting bond without any secrets

"They are as thick as thieves."

"The two sisters are as thick as thieves and share all their secrets."

to forget about past disagreements or mistakes and start afresh

"Let us wipe the slate clean and start over."

"After he apologized she decided to wipe the slate clean and give him another chance."

to start something, particularly a task or relationship, with much success

"Let's start off right."

"The new employee wanted to get off on the right foot by arriving early and volunteering to help with extra tasks."

used to tell a person that one does not want any resentment to remain between them after arguing with them or defeating them in a contest

"No hard feelings, okay?"

"Even though I won the competition, I hope there are no hard feelings between us."

used when a relationship is limited to simple greetings

"We are just on nodding terms with the neighbors."

"We live in the same building but we are only on nodding terms with our neighbours next door."

to have been present for a long time, as in conflicts or business

"We go back a long way."

"My brother and I go back a long way; we've known each other since childhood."

a situation where both sides are willing to make compromises to reach a mutual agreement or understanding

"Marriage requires a lot of give and take."

"A successful marriage requires a lot of give and take from both partners to work well."

to forget about past disagreements or mistakes and start afresh

"Let's wipe the slate clean."

"After their argument, they decided to wipe the slate clean and move forward with their friendship."