foment

American  

[foh-ment] / foʊˈmɛnt /

verb (used with object)

1. to instigate or foster (discord, rebellion, etc.); promote the growth or development of.

   to foment trouble; to foment discontent.

   Synonyms:

   stimulate, encourage, excite, inflame, arouse, provoke, incite

2. to apply warm water or medicated liquid, ointments, etc., to (the surface of the body).

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foment British  

/ ˌfəʊmɛnˈteɪʃən, fəˈmɛnt /

verb

1. to encourage or instigate (trouble, discord, etc); stir up

2. med to apply heat and moisture to (a part of the body) to relieve pain and inflammation

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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

• fomentation noun
• fomenter noun
• unfomented adjective

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.

Example Sentences

They can inflame internal and external tensions and foment uncertainty.

From Barron's • Mar. 7, 2026

What I didn’t anticipate was how hard it is to fill all the void, how the loss of work anxiety would foment a new anxiety.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 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

The aim is to tackle disinformation and hate speech that can foment unrest and radicalise people.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 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

Related Words

• abet
• arouse
• brew
• incite
• whip up