foiled

¹ American  

[foild] / fɔɪld /

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of foil.

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adjective

1. prevented from succeeding; thwarted; blocked.

   A woman is now being questioned in connection with the foiled terror plot to attack churches in Paris.

foiled ² American  

[foild] / fɔɪld /

adjective

Architecture.

1. ornamented with foils (arcs or rounded spaces), as a gable, spandrel, or balustrade.

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Other Word Forms

• unfoiled adjective

Etymology

Origin of foiled¹

First recorded in 1300–50 as a verb, for an earlier sense; foil ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ), and in 1680–90 as an adjective; foil ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Origin of foiled²

First recorded in 1655–65; foil ² + -ed ³

Example Sentences

But unbeknownst to him, Finlay could have been caught up in an earlier attack if the plot had not been foiled by an undercover police operative.

From BBC

Last week, Chinese border police foiled an effort by two men attempting to smuggle 500 pounds of silver into the country from Hong Kong.

From The Wall Street Journal

Reports of a foiled coup later appeared in the Nigerian press.

From Barron's

Besides having foiled some 600 assassination attempts against late leader Fidel Castro, Cuba was reputed for its ability to infiltrate foreign intelligence services and recruit high-ranking informants, particularly Americans.

From Barron's

“The FBI and partners foiled another potential New Year’s Eve attack from an individual allegedly inspired by ISIS,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• barred
• blocked
• closed
• confined
• controlled
• defined
• deprived
• prescribed
• reduced
• restrained
• secured
• shortened
• tethered