foreign
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or derived from another country or nation; not native.
foreign cars.
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of or relating to contact or dealings with other countries; connected with foreign affairs.
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external to one's own country or nation.
a foreign country.
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carried on abroad, or with other countries.
foreign trade.
- Synonyms:
- international
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belonging to or coming from another district, province, etc.
-
located outside a specific district, province, etc.
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Law.
-
of or relating to law outside of local jurisdiction.
-
of or relating to another jurisdiction, as of another nation or state.
-
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belonging to or proceeding from other persons or things.
a statement supported by foreign testimony.
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not belonging to the place or body where found.
foreign matter in a chemical mixture.
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not related to or connected with the thing under consideration.
foreign to our discussion.
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alien in character; irrelevant or inappropriate; remote.
- Synonyms:
- outside, extraneous
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strange or unfamiliar.
adjective
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of, involving, located in, or coming from another country, area, people, etc
a foreign resident
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dealing or concerned with another country, area, people, etc
a foreign office
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not pertinent or related
a matter foreign to the discussion
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not familiar; strange
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in an abnormal place or position
foreign matter
foreign bodies
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law outside the jurisdiction of a particular state; alien
Other Word Forms
- foreignly adverb
- foreignness noun
- nonforeign adjective
- nonforeignness noun
- proforeign adjective
- quasi-foreign adjective
- unforeign adjective
Etymology
Origin of foreign
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English forein, from Old French forain, forein, from unattested Vulgar Latin forānus, derivative of Latin forās “outside”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Russia's ambassador was summoned by the foreign ministry in protest and shown a bottle of cloudy water from the polluted river.
From BBC
The twentieth century held some surprises for us all: the flicker of the motion pictures, the yammer of the radio, the mounting rumble of foreign wars, the jangle of change.
From Literature
He said the Red Cross had sent a letter to the foreign ministry to contact the UN "regarding the protection of medical teams" and securing safe access routes.
From Barron's
Dubai’s economic engine—driven by luxury real estate, foreign capital and global tourism—has benefited from its perception as an island of unshakable stability in a region historically beset by turmoil.
Touring is expensive, not great for the environment and can be a visa nightare for foreign performers.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
