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• foe
  foe

  noun

  a person who feels enmity, hatred, or malice toward another; enemy.
• F.O.E.
  F.O.E.

  abbreviation

  Fraternal Order of Eagles.
• FoE
  FoE

  abbreviation

  Friends of the Earth

foe

¹ American  

[foh] / foʊ /

noun

• foes
  plural

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.

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F.O.E. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Fraternal Order of Eagles.

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FoE ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Friends of the Earth

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foe ² British  

/ fəʊ /

noun

1. formal another word for enemy

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Synonym Usage

See enemy.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• foes
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foe F.O.E. FoE foes

A Russian soldier was checking: Was he friend or foe?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

“Artificial Intelligence is more friend than foe for Netflix,” the analysts said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Moscow has been warned off, by friend and foe alike, not to break the 81-year long taboo on using nuclear weapons in anger.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

A veteran lawmaker who served 12 years in Congress, Bass has attempted to torpedo Raman’s image as a foe of the status quo, pointing out she’s been on the council for nearly six years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

He must not give the foe time to form up on the north bank.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

While Wall greeted and posed with children for three hours at his morning event, about three miles away in another Southeast location, Wizards power forward Markieff Morris and his F.O.E.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 4, 2018

Marcus wore one gold and one silver chain representing the brothers’ motto, F.O.E.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 16, 2017

FoE Scotland said the provisional data also indicates Salamander Street in Edinburgh has breached the legal limit for PM10, recording a figure of 19.44 mcg/m3.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2020

FoE Scotland said politicians at a local and national level had been too slow in reducing car traffic in urban areas and in making public transport both reliable and affordable.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2020

If we go by the standards FoE are demanding of tin supplies then perhaps that is what is being demanded.

From Forbes ● Nov. 8, 2013

Again, by that FoE and tin standard this does seem to be what is being campaigned for.

From Forbes ● Nov. 8, 2013

"It is a wholly inadequate response to the greatest environmental crisis of our time," said FoE president Brent Blackwelder.

From Time Magazine Archive

Previous installments of the “X-Men” films are more typical of the superhero genre, with grand CGI battle sequences and a foe or foes that must be defeated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Haugen and Horwitz battled similarly daunting foes, and the rot they uncovered was just as systemic and frightening as the reporting.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

“So it’s important for people to see that robots are not foes, but friends.”

From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and the United States persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

For hundreds of years, these vicious foes have fought dirty.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

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Related Words

• adversary
• antagonist
• enemy
• rival

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