foiled

[foild]

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adjective Architecture.

ornamented with foils, as a gable, spandrel, or balustrade.

Origin of foiled

First recorded in 1655–65; foil² + -ed³

Related formsun·foiled, adjective

foil

[foil]

verb (used with object)

to prevent the success of; frustrate; balk: Loyal troops foiled his attempt to overthrow the government.

to keep (a person) from succeeding in an enterprise, plan, etc.

noun

Archaic. a defeat; check; repulse.

Origin of foil

1250–1300; Middle English foilen, < Anglo-French foller, Old French fuler to trample, full (cloth). See full²

Related formsfoil·a·ble, adjectiveun·foil·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for foil

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1. thwart; impede, hamper.

foil

[foil]

noun

metal in the form of very thin sheets: aluminum foil.

the metallic backing applied to glass to form a mirror.

a thin layer of metal placed under a gem in a closed setting to improve its color or brilliancy.

a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast: The straight man was an able foil to the comic.

Architecture. an arc or a rounded space between cusps, as in the tracery of a window or other ornamentation.

an airfoil or hydrofoil.

verb (used with object)

to cover or back with foil.

to set off by contrast.

Origin of foil

1350–1400; Middle English foille, foil < Old French fuelle, fueille, foille (< Latin folia leaves), fuel, fueil, foil (< Latin folium leaf, blade)

Synonyms for foil

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4. contrast, complement, counterpart.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for foiled

hinder, prevent, thwart, counter, elude, frustrate, nullify, curb, cramp, rattle, skip, shake, disconcert, dash, duck, ditch, check, stymie, outwit, restrain

Examples from the Web for foiled

Contemporary Examples of foiled

A few days later, an Associated Press story reported that Western intelligence agencies had foiled an AQAP plot.
Meet the Terrorist Who Most Terrifies America’s Terrorist Hunters
Daniel Klaidman
August 8, 2013
In 2002, an Islamist plot to poison the London underground with ricin was foiled as well.
Ricin Scare at the White House: An Eerie Post-9/11 Echo
John Avlon
April 17, 2013
But then the Bangladeshi whose bomb plot was foiled yesterday turned his aim to the New York Fed.
New York Terror Plot: Why Target the Fed?
Daniel Gross
October 18, 2012
Among them was an attempt in 2011—foiled at the last minute—to plant a homemade backpack bomb at a Martin Luther King Jr.
Wisconsin Sikh Massacre Reveals Need for Domestic Antiterrorism Unit
Errol Louis
August 8, 2012
Twice in the last two years, the Saudis foiled al Qaeda plots to attack American cities.
The Return of Prince Bandar: Saudi’s New Spy Chief
Bruce Riedel
July 23, 2012

Historical Examples of foiled

You have foiled me, and conquered: be it so; I congratulate you.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The Greenwich party, foiled in this attempt, now disavowed it.
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
Seeing me foiled, Charley advanced with the doubtful aid of a sophism to help me.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
By this simple method, the bees which come to make the attack will be foiled, and constrained to act with great disadvantage.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
If you fail in the former, you will often be foiled in your attempts at the latter.
The Mother's Manual of Children's Diseases
Charles West, M.D.

British Dictionary definitions for foiled

foil

verb (tr)

to baffle or frustrate (a person, attempt, etc)

hunting (of hounds, hunters, etc) to obliterate the scent left by a hunted animal or (of a hunted animal) to run back over its own trail

archaic to repulse or defeat (an attack or assailant)

noun

hunting any scent that obscures the trail left by a hunted animal

archaic a setback or defeat

Derived Formsfoilable, adjective

Word Origin for foil

C13 foilen to trample, from Old French fouler, from Old French fuler tread down, full ²

foil

noun

metal in the form of very thin sheetsgold foil; tin foil

the thin metallic sheet forming the backing of a mirror

a thin leaf of shiny metal set under a gemstone to add brightness or colour

a person or thing that gives contrast to another

architect a small arc between cusps, esp as used in Gothic window tracery

short for aerofoil, hydrofoil

verb (tr)

to back or cover with foil

Also: foliate architect to ornament (windows) with foils

Word Origin for foil

C14: from Old French foille, from Latin folia leaves, plural of folium

foil

noun

a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button and usually having a bell-shaped guard

Word Origin for foil

C16: of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for foiled

foil

c.1300, foilen "to spoil a trace or scent by running over it," irregularly from Old French fouler "trample," from Vulgar Latin *fullare "to clean cloth" (by treading on it), from Latin fullo "one who cleans cloth, fuller," of unknown origin.

Hence, "to overthrow, defeat" (1540s). Sense of "frustrate the efforts of" first recorded 1560s. Related: Foiled; foiling. Foiled again! as a cry of defeat and dismay is from at least 1847.

foil

"thin sheet of metal," early 14c., from Old French fueille "leaf," from Latin folia "leaves," plural (mistaken for fem. singular) of folium "leaf" (see folio).

The sense of "one who enhances another by contrast" (1580s) is from the practice of backing a gem with metal foil to make it shine more brilliantly. The meaning "light sword used in fencing" (1590s) could be from this sense, or from foil (v.). The modern sense of "metallic food wrap" is from 1946.