foyer

American  

[foi-er, foi-ey, fwa-yey] / ˈfɔɪ ər, ˈfɔɪ eɪ, fwaˈyeɪ /

noun

plural

foyers

1. the lobby of a theater, hotel, or apartment house.

2. a vestibule or entrance hall in a house or apartment.

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foyer British  

/ ˈfɔɪeɪ, ˈfɔɪə /

noun

1. a hall, lobby, or anteroom, used for reception and as a meeting place, as in a hotel, theatre, cinema, etc

2. (in Britain) a centre providing accommodation and employment training, etc. for homeless young people

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Etymology

Origin of foyer

1855–60; < French: fireplace, hearth (originally a room to which theater audiences went for warmth between the acts) < Gallo-Latin *focārium, equivalent to Latin foc ( us ) hearth ( focus ) + -ārium -arium

Example Sentences

Lolling about the foyer, sniffing from time to time at my legs and hands, were three perfectly huge Doberman pinschers.

From Literature

In the gas-lamp light of the foyer, I could finally see his face, this man who had been leading me through the streets of Paris: dark-haired, blue-purple eyes.

From Literature

While she records her show and listens to the files at her kitchen table, the camera stays focused on Evy in the foreground, shrouded by the dark foyer behind her.

From Salon

The sudden movement in an otherwise tranquil foyer was striking.

From BBC

The Barbican's distinctive brutalist foyers and lakeside terrace will also be developed to protect the heritage of the building, and a climate-controlled habitat to support plant health is to be introduced.

From BBC

Related Words

• lobby
• vestibule