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Synonyms

foe

1 American  
[foh] / foʊ /

noun

  1. a person who feels enmity, hatred, or malice toward another; enemy.

    a bitter foe.
    Synonyms:
    antagonist, opponent
    Antonyms:
    friend

  2. a military enemy; hostile army.

    Antonyms:
    friend

  3. a person belonging to a hostile army or nation.

    Synonyms:
    antagonist, opponent
    Antonyms:
    friend

  4. an opponent in a game or contest; adversary.

    a political foe.
    Synonyms:
    antagonist, opponent

  5. a person who is opposed in feeling, principle, etc., to something.

    a foe to progress in civil rights.
    Synonyms:
    antagonist, opponent

  6. a thing that is harmful to or destructive of something.

    Sloth is the foe of health.
F.O.E. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. Fraternal Order of Eagles.

FoE 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Friends of the Earth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
foe 2 British  
/ fəʊ /

noun

  1. formal another word for enemy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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”; feud 1

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.

MUNICH—When the full-scale Russian invasion began, Western defense manufacturers rushed their modern weaponry into Ukraine, helping Kyiv drive back a much more powerful foe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

"What's so exciting is that our treatment converts these cells from protecting the cancer to killing it. We've turned foe into ally."

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2026

The accident occurred weeks after Joshua stopped YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami to stay on course to face old foe Tyson Fury this year.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

And foreign policy is not generally considered the strong suit of Labour's main current foe, Reform UK.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

In prison, one has time to review the past, and memory becomes both friend and foe.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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.