foreign

[ fawr-in, for- ]

/ ˈfɔr ɪn, ˈfɒr- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: foreign / foreignness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or derived from another country or nation; not native: foreign cars.

of or relating to contact or dealings with other countries; connected with foreign affairs.

external to one's own country or nation: a foreign country.

carried on abroad, or with other countries: foreign trade.

belonging to or coming from another district, province, etc.

located outside a specific district, province, etc.

Law.

of or relating to law outside of local jurisdiction.
of or relating to another jurisdiction, as of another nation or state.

belonging to or proceeding from other persons or things: a statement supported by foreign testimony.

not belonging to the place or body where found: foreign matter in a chemical mixture.

not related to or connected with the thing under consideration: foreign to our discussion.

alien in character; irrelevant or inappropriate; remote.

strange or unfamiliar.

OTHER WORDS FOR foreign

4 international.

11 extraneous, outside.

See synonyms for foreign on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of foreign

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English forein, from Old French forain, forein, from unattested Vulgar Latin forānus, derivative of Latin forās “outside”

OTHER WORDS FROM foreign

for·eign·ly, adverbfor·eign·ness, nounnon·for·eign, adjectivenon·for·eign·ness, noun

pro·for·eign, adjectivequasi-foreign, adjectiveun·for·eign, adjective

Words nearby foreign

forehanded, forehead, forehearth, forehock, forehoof, foreign, foreign affairs, foreign aid, foreign bill, foreign body, foreign body granuloma

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use foreign in a sentence

In the past, foreign policy differences between the parties were often at the margins.
Election live updates: Trump returns to Wisconsin; Biden to face live audience at town hall|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
The boost in admissions is partly down to the continued enthusiasm of foreign students for studying in the United Kingdom.
UK Universities Predicted a COVID-19 Crash. They Got the Opposite|Fiona Zublin|September 17, 2020|Ozy
It has taken a long time for biology and medicine to arrive at the idea that significant portions of an individual’s own body are foreign to it.
What the Meadow Teaches Us - Issue 90: Something Green|Andreas Weber|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
The contracts can be so strict that if enforced they could prevent an employee from, for example, trading equities or foreign exchange for the rest of their careers.
The losses continue to pile up for hedge fund king Ray Dalio|Bernhard Warner|September 15, 2020|Fortune

Aside from Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League, no other major sport has a higher foreign player participation rate, say experts.
Can Small-Town America Survive Pandemic’s Hit to Minor League Baseball?|Charu Kasturi|September 14, 2020|Ozy
Cambodia, with its seemingly free press, is also a haven for foreign journalists.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What they believe impacts economic policy, foreign policy, education policy, environmental policy, you name it.
The Evangelical Apocalypse Is All Your Fault|Jay Michaelson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Huckabee is also not burdened by, or beholden to, foreign investors.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What if there were a legal dispute between the foreign investor and his or her Egyptian partners or collaborators?
Amal Clooney vs. Egypt’s Courts|Christopher Dickey|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But I had won the British Award, Best Foreign Actor, so I went.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is a lofty and richly-decorated pile of the fourteenth century; and tells of the labours and the wealth of a foreign land.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The lack of bill buyers in foreign countries who will quote as low rates on dollar as on sterling bills.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
I found that I still felt the lure of foreign countries, and the less explored or inhabited, the better.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
There are very few foreign journals taken or read in the Roman States.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Migration to distant occupations or to foreign lands was but for the adventurous few.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for foreign

foreign

/ (ˈfɒrɪn) /

adjective

of, involving, located in, or coming from another country, area, people, etca foreign resident

dealing or concerned with another country, area, people, etca foreign office

not pertinent or relateda matter foreign to the discussion

not familiar; strange

in an abnormal place or positionforeign matter; foreign bodies

law outside the jurisdiction of a particular state; alien

Derived forms of foreign

foreignly, adverbforeignness, noun

Word Origin for foreign

C13: from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin forānus (unattested) situated on the outside, from Latin foris outside

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

foreign

OTHER WORDS FOR foreign

Origin of foreign

OTHER WORDS FROM foreign

Words nearby foreign

Words related to foreign

How to use foreign in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for foreign

Derived forms of foreign

Word Origin for foreign