fair-weather friend UK /ˈfɛəˌwɛðə ˈfɹɛnd/US /ˈfɛɚˌwɛðɚ ˈfɹɛnd/ noun1 •One who is friendly, helpful, or available only when it is advantageous or convenient to be so.[T]he liberty of the press was not to be looked upon as fit only for seasons of calmness, as a fair-weather friend to be discarded in a storm. — 1819 formsfair weather friends · fair-weather friends