foe
noun
a person who feels enmity, hatred, or malice toward another; enemy.
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foe
1 American
[foh]
/ foʊ /
noun
-
a person who feels enmity, hatred, or malice toward another; enemy.
a bitter foe.
- Synonyms:
- antagonist, opponent
- Antonyms:
- friend
-
a military enemy; hostile army.
- Antonyms:
- friend
-
a person belonging to a hostile army or nation.
- Synonyms:
- antagonist, opponent
- Antonyms:
- friend
-
an opponent in a game or contest; adversary.
a political foe.
- Synonyms:
- antagonist, opponent
-
a person who is opposed in feeling, principle, etc., to something.
a foe to progress in civil rights.
- Synonyms:
- antagonist, opponent
-
a thing that is harmful to or destructive of something.
Sloth is the foe of health.
F.O.E.
2
American
abbreviation
FoE
1
British
abbreviation
foe
2
British
/ fəʊ /
noun
Related Words
See enemy.
Etymology
Origin of foe
First recorded before 900; Middle English foo, Old English fāh “hostile,” gefāh “enemy”; cognate with Old High German gifēh “at war”; see origin at feud 1
Explanation
A foe is an enemy. Foes can range from an adversary of one person to that of a nation, from “he is my foe” to “they are my foe.” There is also a “that is my foe” who those who are trying to diet know well, aka chocolate. A cousin of the word feud (though they don’t get a long of course) foe may refer to a military opponent or a personal nemesis or rival — Lex Luthor is Superman’s foe. Historically, foes often come in pairs — such as the North and the South in the Civil War. The word foe is sometimes used for an opposing concept or a thing — if you are on a diet, chocolate may be your foe.
Vocabulary lists containing foe
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The Star Spangled Banner
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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.
On Eubanks’ serve at 2-all in the first set, Big Foe got up early, earning three break-point opportunities.
From Washington Times • Aug. 3, 2022
The actor chatted with Salon about his career and "A Dark Foe."
From Salon • Jul. 28, 2021
Park’s photos appeared in the June 16, 1961 issue of Life under the heading, “Freedom’s Fearful Foe: Poverty.”
From Washington Post • Oct. 15, 2019
But, in 1972, the annual A.P.A. meeting featured a panel discussion titled “Psychiatry: Friend or Foe to Homosexuals?”
From The New Yorker • May 20, 2019
On a "False Foe" my venom I may spend, But what of my "Right Honourable Friend"?
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105, September 2nd, 1893 by Various
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.
