foreigner
Americannoun
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a person from a foreign country; alien
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an outsider or interloper
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something from a foreign country, such as a ship or product
Usage
What is a foreigner? A foreigner is a person from a different country than the one being referred to, as in The country was welcoming to foreigners from neighboring countries. Foreigner is a noun form of the adjective foreign, which is used to describe someone or something that is from another place, particularly another country, as in foreign country and foreign language. Foreigner can be used more generally to mean a person from outside someone’s community or group. The word foreigner is similar to words like stranger and outsider, referring to a person who is from outside a community. However, foreigner implies that a person has different customs and culture or speaks a different language. Sometimes, foreigner is used negatively to harshly judge or discriminate against a person’s culture, customs, language, or country. It implies that the person or people being discussed are not acceptable in some way—that they don’t belong where they are. Although foreigner can be used in a neutral way, it can also be used in a way that’s very offensive. Words like immigrant, refugee, and tourist more specifically indicate a person’s status. Example: The secluded island nation was known for being distrustful of foreigners and rarely allowed visitors from other countries.
Synonym Usage
See stranger.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of foreigner
First recorded in 1375–1425, foreigner is from the late Middle English word foreiner. See foreign, -er 1
Explanation
A foreigner is someone from another country. A foreigner is not from these parts. Things that are foreign are different and unknown to people. Likewise, a foreigner is someone from a different country. An American visiting China is a foreigner. A German person visiting Canada is a foreigner. Foreigners are often tourists who check out the sights of other countries. If a foreigner decided to relocate to another country, they become an immigrant and perhaps eventually a citizen.
Vocabulary lists containing foreigner
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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 said the expedition comprises 10 people -- including five Nepalese, a Pakistani, an Omani, an American, a climber from China, and one other foreigner.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
“Today was the saddest day since I’ve been here because, as a foreigner in this land, I expected what I knew about the U.S.,” he said during a virtual press conference that morning.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Although Alfredo is Mexican, he feels like a foreigner in the country he left behind when he was a teenager.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
“I was such a foreigner, a guest in that community,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
No suggestion that he had wasted yet another night risking his life for an ungrateful foreigner who would never be able to repay him—the Aerodrome Drop-Off Principle taken to extremes.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
There’s a culture at the time of lavish gift-giving to diplomats and foreign officials, and he’s just terrified that officers of the United States will be beholden and influenced by foreigners.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
TikTok and Instagram are awash with videos of foreigners trying the fiery snacks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Ireland and Italy, for example, offer citizenship to foreigners if they parents or grandparents that were born in or were citizens of those countries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Other foreigners, including Pakistanis, Sudanese and Jordanians, are in a similar position, but in the first seven months of this year 17 Ethiopians have been executed - the highest number among non-Saudis.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The family looked Indian but dressed as foreigners did, the children in stiff, brightly colored clothing and caps with translucent visors.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions 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.
