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:
Five years later, he was chosen by a conservative British prime minister, David Cameron, to head the Bank of England, becoming the first foreigner to lead the institution.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
It is unclear whether the incoming head coach will be a Scot or foreigner.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 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
“Kafka was a foreigner everywhere, especially in Prague,” Maïa Hruska writes in her absorbing book, “Kafkaesque,” which receives a fittingly attentive translation from the French by Sam Taylor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Madu saw him as a foreigner, which perhaps was why he thought he would be good at this.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Among the main pathways recruiters use to exploit foreigners are job advertisements online, often with the promise of false civilian work, Amnesty said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Trip.com says there is plenty of room to court foreigners and turn tourism into a bigger growth driver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
From then on, Hoxha took complete control of the island, building a settlement, banning foreigners, and limiting access even for Albanians—other than those who had proven their loyalty to his regime.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
The August 26 glacial and mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border killed at least 1,398 people, with more than 5,500 missing, including around 800 foreigners.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
In a conflict, Tisquantum might even side with the foreigners.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
