foment

American  

[foh-ment] / foʊˈmɛnt /

verb (used with object)

1. to instigate or foster (discord, rebellion, etc.); promote the growth or development of.

   to foment trouble; to foment discontent.

   Synonyms:

   stimulate, encourage, excite, inflame, arouse, provoke, incite

2. to apply warm water or medicated liquid, ointments, etc., to (the surface of the body).

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foment British  

/ ˌfəʊmɛnˈteɪʃən, fəˈmɛnt /

verb

1. to encourage or instigate (trouble, discord, etc); stir up

2. med to apply heat and moisture to (a part of the body) to relieve pain and inflammation

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Usage

Both foment and ferment can be used to talk about stirring up trouble: he was accused of fomenting/fermenting unrest . Only ferment can be used intransitively or as a noun: his anger continued to ferment (not foment ); rural areas were unaffected by the ferment in the cities

Other Word Forms

• fomentation noun
• fomenter noun
• unfomented adjective

Etymology

Origin of foment

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fomenten, from Late Latin fōmentāre, verbal derivative of Latin fōmentum “soothing application, poultice,” contraction of unattested fōvimentum, equivalent to fōv(ēre) “to keep warm” + -i- -i- + -mentum -ment

Example Sentences

What I didn’t anticipate was how hard it is to fill all the void, how the loss of work anxiety would foment a new anxiety.

From The Wall Street Journal

The paranoia and fear fomented by the sweeping immigration crackdown in the Midwestern state has led many migrants -- both those with legal status and those without -- to shelter at home, campaigners say.

From Barron's

A better strategy would focus on how we can work with our allies, not on fomenting domestic revolutions most of their citizens don’t want.

From The Wall Street Journal

Those contests, like many others, involved months of trash-talking on both sides, and often foment internal warfare.

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s the lack of transparency and the 11-month delay in reporting the reading that has fomented community mistrust and raised questions regarding the military’s competency to safely clean up the polluted shipyard.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abet
• arouse
• brew
• incite
• whip up