foyer

American  

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

noun

• foyers
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• foyers
  plural

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 ( cf. focus) + -ārium -arium

Explanation

A foyer is a large entrance, like the foyer of a building that you enter before you reach the elevators. Sometimes a foyer is also called a "lobby." Foyer originally was a term in French that referred to the room where actors waited when they were not on stage. Today, a foyer is a large entrance to a building or home. The bigger and fancier a mansion, office or apartment building is, the bigger and more ornate the foyer will likely be. After all, the foyer will be the first room that visitors see when entering.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foyer foyers

I viewed a circular temple platform beneath the foyer of the Catedral Hotel, while guests ate breakfast over part of an ancient ballgame court.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The 300-year-old building was converted into an 82-seat theatre, with surrounding corridors used to create a foyer and backstage area.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Each Sunday afternoon, after a Spanish-language service, lawyers, translators and parishioners gather in the basement foyer to help families navigate the immigration system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

Designer Lara Hovanessian has transformed the foyer walls of both the first and second floors into a striking display for local artists Blakeney, Susanna Speirs Ali and Lareina Holsopple.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

Seems like half the congregation fills the foyer.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

People are going to cinemas now, and at the end people stand up and applaud and talk about the movie in the foyers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024

In cities including Chicago, New York and Denver, migrants who have no access to work permits sleep in police station foyers and in airports.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2024

And Germany has stopped lighting up public monuments and buildings for aesthetic reasons, and warned heating may be turned off in the entrances, corridors and foyers of public buildings.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2022

“We designed it as a step-up for the first-time home buyer,” said Pettit, noting that the 2,025 residences are a mix of split level, split foyers, two-stories, apartments and townhouses with small yards.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2022

These buildings have elevators in them, and wide foyers with plants, and are called things like The Monte Carlo.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• lobby
• vestibule