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

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foiled

Maybe Stevens snapped after spending another week butting heads with the rival who foiled her Senate dreams.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

Ukrainian forces relied on jammers and artillery to counter enemy fire that might have foiled the mission and lost only one Vampire drone that was providing cover.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

The foiled plot targeted the RAF Fairford base, prompting the U.S. to withdraw 12 heavy bombers that were stationed there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The gang were foiled in their attempts to pull the deception for a third time.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

There was for a while a lull in the assault, since the attempt to break in through the culvert had been foiled.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

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Related Words

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

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