foment
Americanverb (used with object)
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foments,
present (3rd person singular)
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fomented,
past participle, past
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fomenting
present participle
verb
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to encourage or instigate (trouble, discord, etc); stir up
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med to apply heat and moisture to (a part of the body) to relieve pain and inflammation
Usage
Both foment and ferment can be used to talk about stirring up trouble: he was accused of fomenting/fermenting unrest . Only ferment can be used intransitively or as a noun: his anger continued to ferment (not foment ); rural areas were unaffected by the ferment in the cities
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fomentsimple
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fomentssimple
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have fomentedperfect
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has fomentedperfect
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am fomentingprogressive
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are fomentingprogressive
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is fomentingprogressive
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have been fomentingperfect progressive
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has been fomentingperfect progressive
Past
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fomentedsimple
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had fomentedperfect
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was fomentingprogressive
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were fomentingprogressive
-
had been fomentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of foment
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fomenten, from Late Latin fōmentāre, verbal derivative of Latin fōmentum “soothing application, poultice,” contraction of unattested fōvimentum, equivalent to fōv(ēre) “to keep warm” + -i- -i- + -mentum -ment
Explanation
Stand outside the school cafeteria passing out flyers with nutritional details on school food, and you may foment a revolution — foment means stirring up something undesirable, such as trouble. You would never say, "Hooray, we fomented a revolution." Instead you'd say, "Those good for nothing scalawags fomented the rebellion." Don't confuse foment and ferment. Ferment can mean "to stir up" in a good way — a football game can ferment excitement in a town, or foment trouble through traffic tie-ups and litter.
Vocabulary lists containing foment
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This Week in Words: November 3 - 9, 2018
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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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.
See Examples For:
It was an early list of complaints against the crown and helped foment the American Revolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
When such state threats are systematized, they can foment a broader climate of fear, self-censorship and conformity.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
They can inflame internal and external tensions and foment uncertainty.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
Those contests, like many others, involved months of trash-talking on both sides, and often foment internal warfare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
Even as Tisquantum attempted to foment Indian distrust of Massasoit, he told the colonists that Massasoit was going to double-cross them by leading a joint attack on Plymouth with the Narragansett.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The text of the newly proposed Bill C-34 lists seven categories of "harmful content", which includes material bullying a child, or that foments hatred, or incites violence.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
There, sharing a theatre stage with a dozen other religious representatives, he urged all religions to live in harmony and shun ideological fundamentalism that foments violence.
From Reuters ● Sep. 3, 2023
In practice, the movement spreads falsehoods and foments conspiracy theories about evolution.
From Scientific American ● May 12, 2023
More than Twitter, which primarily foments arguments; Instagram, which is polished beyond feeling; or Snapchat, which functions largely in private, TikTok is the social media app best suited to exchange of ideas.
From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2021
Twigs and bark of cottonwood were burned as incense to ward against the scheming of Anog Ite, the spiteful malevolent being who foments scandals, strife and infidelity.
From A Book Written by the Spirits of the So-Called Dead by C. G. (Carl Gustaf) Helleberg
The paranoia and fear fomented by the sweeping immigration crackdown in the Midwestern state has led many migrants -- both those with legal status and those without -- to shelter at home, campaigners say.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
But it’s the lack of transparency and the 11-month delay in reporting the reading that has fomented community mistrust and raised questions regarding the military’s competency to safely clean up the polluted shipyard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025
Ms. Nadell is convincing that anti-Israel movements have fomented antisemitism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
The horrific images that have emerged from the area during these hellish recent months have fomented a sea change in the dialogue around it.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2025
Lander’s rhetoric inflamed passions; he fomented rebellion; he was too uppity to allow to run free.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
However, the ill-feeling has been fomenting for much longer.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The sheer reach of the Cyclospora parasite indicates other contributors at play, and despite expert recommendations to the contrary, it’s already fomenting a mild panic over produce.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Paz's government accuses Morales, who attempted a comeback last year despite being wanted on charges of trafficking a minor, of fomenting the current unrest.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
A better strategy would focus on how we can work with our allies, not on fomenting domestic revolutions most of their citizens don’t want.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Mom is fomenting her own brand of anarchy closer to home.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
