a member of any of various chiefly mendicant religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church, the main orders being Black Friars (Dominicans), Grey Friars (Franciscans), White Friars (Carmelites), and Austin Friars (Augustinians)
See also Black Friar, Grey Friar, White Friar, Augustinian
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
fri•ar /ˈfraɪɚ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Religiona man who is a member of a Roman Catholic mendicant order.
fri•ar
(frī′ər),USA pronunciation n.
- Religion[Rom. Cath. Ch.]a member of a religious order, esp. the mendicant orders of Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, and Augustinians.
- [Print.]a blank or light area on a printed page caused by uneven inking of the plate or type. Cf. monk (def. 3).
- Latin frāter brother
- Old French frere
- Middle English frier, frere brother 1250–1300
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See monk.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'Friar' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Angelico
- Anthony of Padua
- Austin friar
- Black Friar
- Campanella
- Capuchin
- Carmelite
- Cordelier
- Dominican
- FR
- Fra
- Francis of Assisi
- Franciscan
- Friar Minor
- Friar Minor Capuchin
- Friar Minor Conventual
- Friar Preacher
- Friar Tuck
- Gray Friar
- Grey Friar
- Jacobin
- Minorite
- White Friar
- capuchin
- conventual
- curtal
- frailero
- friar's balsam
- friar's chair
- friar's lantern
- friarbird
- friarly
- friary
- frère
- ignis fatuus
- mendicant
- minor
- monk
- preacher
- religious
- will-o'-the-wisp