Foley

American

[foh-lee] / ˈfoʊ li /

adjective

of or relating to motion-picture sound effects produced manually.

a Foley artist.

foley British

/ ˈfəʊlɪ /

noun

films the US name for footsteps editor

"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

Etymology

Origin of Foley

After Jack Foley, sound-effect pioneer at Universal Pictures in the 1930s

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

McCormick CEO Brendan Foley said the “transformative” combination with Unilever Foods reinforces its focus on flavor.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

"That'll take a little bit of time because people are going to remember it for the next couple of years," Foley, 33, told the Herald Sun.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Among Wonder Project’s recent shows is “It’s Not Like That,” a romance starring Scott Foley as a widowed pastor who falls for a divorced woman played by Erinn Hayes.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

Coyle, from Colorado, was arrested in January 2025, according to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for the release of Americans taken hostage or arbitrarily detained abroad.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

After waiting all afternoon at the Foley Square courthouse holding pen, we were handcuffed together and lined up in the hallway.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023