Partner in crime: what it means, the signs, and who makes the perfect one

A partner in crime is the person you get up to things with. They say yes to your plans, help with your ideas and keep your secrets. Nobody needs to break the law.

An example: she has known her best friend since they were nine. They once drove four hours to see a band neither of them liked, just because the other one said yes. At her wedding, the best friend gave a speech that started with "I have been her partner in crime for twenty years", and everyone who knew them laughed, because they knew the stories.

What does partner in crime mean?

A partner in crime is a close friend or partner who joins you in plans, adventures and small mischief. It is the person you call first when you have a silly idea, because you know they will not talk you out of it. It is also the one who covers for you, laughs at the same things and remembers the stories.

The phrase is almost always warm and joking. People write it on birthday cards and under photos, and they use it in speeches. When someone calls you their partner in crime, they mean you are on the same team.

People also say partners in crime about two friends together, as in "those two are partners in crime". Some write partner-in-crime with hyphens. The meaning is the same.

Where does the phrase partner in crime come from?

The phrase started out literal. A partner in crime was an accomplice, someone who helped another person commit a crime. You will still see it used that way in news stories and crime novels.

Over time, people began to use it as a joke about harmless things: sneaking the last slice of cake, planning a surprise party or skipping a boring work event together. Today the playful meaning is the one you hear in everyday talk.

What does it mean when someone calls you their partner in crime?

It depends a little on who says it.

• From a friend, it means you are their go-to person for fun and for trouble. You are the one they share plans and secrets with.
• From a partner, it means they see you as a teammate as well as someone they love. Couples who call each other partners in crime usually mean they have fun together, not only a home together.
• From a sibling or a cousin, it often points back to childhood, when the two of you were in on everything together.

In all three cases, it is a compliment. It says that life is more fun with you in it.

Is a partner in crime the same as a best friend?

Often, but not always. A best friend is the person you trust most and turn to when things go wrong. A partner in crime is the person you have the most fun with and who joins your plans. Many people have one person who is both. The friend who stands by you whatever happens is often called your ride or die.

Some people have a best friend they talk to about everything and a different friend they travel with or start projects with. That is normal. Why every friend fills a different spot in your life is covered in types of friends, and the closest of them in what makes a best friend.

Signs you have found your partner in crime

• They say yes to your plans before they know the details.
• You have inside jokes nobody else understands.
• You can make a plan in two messages.
• They keep your secrets, even the silly ones.
• You both remember the same stories, and you tell them together.
• Boring errands turn into small adventures when they come along.
• When something goes wrong, you end up laughing about it later.

How to be a good partner in crime

1. Say yes more often. Not to everything, but to enough plans that they keep asking you.
2. Bring your own ideas. A partner in crime who only follows soon becomes an audience.
3. Keep what they tell you to yourself. Trust is what makes the fun feel safe.
4. Know when to stop the joke. A good partner in crime notices when the other person is tired or upset.
5. Show up for the boring parts too. Helping a friend move house counts.

Why do some people make the perfect partner in crime?

A lot depends on the pair. Typeza describes one of 16 relationship types for any two personality types, based on socionics, and the type shapes what two people do best together. With some people, plans flow and get done. With others, plans flow and never happen.

The partner in crime who is up for anything you are

Two Diplomats met at a friend's barbecue and booked a weekend trip before the evening ended. Both love to act on the moment, both can talk their way into anything, and neither needs to explain why a last-minute plan sounds great. Typeza calls two of the same type an Identity pair: they understand each other without effort. The catch is a shared blind spot. Neither one thinks about next month, so the hotel is not booked and nobody checked the weather. Every adventure is fun, and a third friend who likes to plan saves a lot of them.

The partner in crime who turns your idea into a real thing

An Ideator has a new idea every week. Her friend, a Craftsman, has quiet skill with tools. When she says "what if we turned an old van into a tiny camper?", he is the one who finds the van, measures it and builds the bed. She keeps the project interesting, and he makes it real. This is Semi-duality, where much of what one person lacks, the other supplies. There is one gap they share, so some plans keep stalling at the same step, like the paperwork or the money. Knowing that in advance saves a lot of blame.

The partner in crime you plan with and argue with on the night

A Vitalizer and a Mentor are the two people every friend group counts on for parties. Both care about the mood in the room and both love to make a night special. They agree on the goal in seconds. Then the Vitalizer wants a big, loud party with everyone invited, and the Mentor wants candles, a theme and a speech that makes people cry. This is Kindred, the same values with different methods. Talking about the plan is easy and running it together is not. It works best when each one owns a part of the night.

The partner in crime who is all talk

A Dreamer and an Encourager have talked about a trip to Japan for six years. They have the playlists, the list of temples and a shared folder of photos. They have not booked a flight. Both love talking about what could be, and they understand each other's ideas at once. Yet each quietly slows the other down when it is time to act. This is Extinguishment, a relationship that is great for thinking together and hard for doing things together. The talks are real fun. If they want the trip, one of them needs to buy the tickets alone, without a debate.

Over the years, the most balanced partners in crime are often a Duality pair. What one finds hard, the other does without thinking, so plans both start and finish. It can feel calm at first, and the teamwork grows with time.

Fun is possible in every pair. What differs is whether the same plan runs smoothly with one friend or falls apart with another.

See what your partnership runs on

Here is one more plan for you and your partner in crime: the free friendship compatibility test. Take it first, then share the link from your result. The same test works for a best friend and for the person you date. When you have both finished, your relationship type shows what you two do best as a team and where your schemes tend to stall.

Questions people ask

What does partner in crime mean?

A close friend or partner who joins your plans and harmless mischief. It once meant a real accomplice.

Is partner in crime romantic?

It can be either. Friends use it for each other, and so do couples. From a partner, it means you are a team who also has fun together.

Can your partner be your partner in crime?

Yes. Many couples say it about each other. It usually means they share plans, jokes and small adventures, not only chores and bills.

What is another word for partner in crime?

Accomplice is the literal one. In a friendly sense, people say sidekick, right-hand person, best mate or the one they do everything with.

What does "my other half" mean?

It means your partner, the person who feels like the missing part of you. "My better half" is the same idea with a joke built in, since you claim your partner is the better of the two.

Sources

• Wiktionary, "partner in crime": the literal sense of a criminal accomplice and the informal, humorous sense of a close associate.

Written by Virko Kask, founder of Typeza
Written with the help of AI tools.