foe

[ foh ]

/ foʊ /

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noun

a person who feels enmity, hatred, or malice toward another; enemy: a bitter foe.

a military enemy; hostile army.

a person belonging to a hostile army or nation.

an opponent in a game or contest; adversary: a political foe.

a person who is opposed in feeling, principle, etc., to something: a foe to progress in civil rights.

a thing that is harmful to or destructive of something: Sloth is the foe of health.

OTHER WORDS FOR foe

1, 3-5 opponent, antagonist.

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OPPOSITES FOR foe

1-3 friend.

See antonyms for foe on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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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 feud¹

synonym study for foe

1. See enemy.

Words nearby foe

focusing cloth, focus puller, fodder, fodderbeet, fodgel, foe, foefie slide, foehn, foeman, foetal, foetation

Other definitions for foe (2 of 2)

F.O.E.

abbreviation

Fraternal Order of Eagles.

How to use foe in a sentence

He should also be remembered for being an early and eloquent foe of Nazism.
The Catholic Philosopher Who Took on Hitler|John Henry Crosby|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There has been no greater foe of campaign finance reform than Mitch McConnell over the years.
Just What We Needed: More Campaign Spending|Mark McKinnon|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pro-bank conservatives face a predictable foe in the anti-corporate left.
The People Vs. the Bank of Walmart|James Poulos|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was no high tech foe in Iraq or Afghanistan, and over Libya, the Raptor was not the right jet for the task.
First U.S. Stealth Jet Attack on Syria Cost More Than Indian Mission to Mars|Dave Majumdar|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia was the most eager to see an attack on Syria, a long-time political foe.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: August 31|PunditFact.com|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At last, tired of fighting an unseen foe, the men arose to their feet, and with a wild cheer sprang forward.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
Be this as it may, his conduct during the campaign justified the suspicion with which he was regarded by friend and foe.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Soult, by every effort of voice and gesture, attempted to force his veterans to face the foe, but in vain.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
As his system is the foe of all artificial methods, it is par excellence the “Natural” System.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
To be sure, I could not see where he could be of much assistance; but we had a common aim and a common foe.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd

British Dictionary definitions for foe (1 of 2)

foe

/ (fəʊ) /

noun

formal, or literary another word for enemy

Word Origin for foe

Old English fāh hostile; related to Old High German fēhan to hate, Old Norse feikn dreadful; see feud 1

British Dictionary definitions for foe (2 of 2)

FoE

FOE

abbreviation for

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