foreign
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or derived from another country or nation; not native.
foreign cars.
-
of or relating to contact or dealings with other countries; connected with foreign affairs.
-
external to one's own country or nation.
a foreign country.
-
carried on abroad, or with other countries.
foreign trade.
- Synonyms:
- international
-
belonging to or coming from another district, province, etc.
-
located outside a specific district, province, etc.
-
Law.
-
of or relating to law outside of local jurisdiction.
-
of or relating to another jurisdiction, as of another nation or state.
-
-
belonging to or proceeding from other persons or things.
a statement supported by foreign testimony.
-
not belonging to the place or body where found.
foreign matter in a chemical mixture.
-
not related to or connected with the thing under consideration.
foreign to our discussion.
-
alien in character; irrelevant or inappropriate; remote.
- Synonyms:
- outside, extraneous
-
strange or unfamiliar.
adjective
-
of, involving, located in, or coming from another country, area, people, etc
a foreign resident
-
dealing or concerned with another country, area, people, etc
a foreign office
-
not pertinent or related
a matter foreign to the discussion
-
not familiar; strange
-
in an abnormal place or position
foreign matter
foreign bodies
-
law outside the jurisdiction of a particular state; alien
Other Word Forms
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”
Explanation
If it has to do with other countries or their people, it is foreign, like a French movie receiving a British award for Best Foreign Film. The adjective foreign is based on the Latin word foris, meaning “outside.” A foreign exchange student goes outside of his or her country to study. When you learn a foreign language, it is outside of the one you first learned. If you sleep late on the weekends, someone might say, "Getting up early on Saturdays is a foreign concept to you." This means it's outside of your experience and knowledge.
Vocabulary lists containing foreign
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Word Generation Social Studies - Complex Questions Related to American Democracy
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Long isolated in the palace, Puyi’s world had started to expand in 1918 when his advisers hired Reginald Johnston, a 44-year-old Scotsman from the British Colonial Service, as the teenager’s foreign tutor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Of the 15 people who died in Bédar, 14 were foreign nationals: nine British citizens, three Belgian, one French and one American.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Crowds of onlookers lined the procession course: ordinary urbanites, former dynastic officials and foreign residents of the capital, all hoping to catch one final glimpse of imperial extravagance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Even as Trump still plays the dominant role in US foreign policy, the size of Democrats' victory means they control the agenda in Congress, said political science professor Brian Taylor of Syracuse University.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
There’s only one problem: it’s all in a foreign language.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
