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:
Still, he expects the foreigner population to reach 10 million in the 2040s due to labour shortage.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
“Sometimes,” Mr. Byrne said, “it takes a naive foreigner to appreciate what people who live in a country don’t realize they have”—a sentiment congruent with his advice to think across disciplines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
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
She wore a bright turquoise shirt that referenced Bible scripture from Leviticus 19:33-34, which commands followers to love the foreigner as they love themselves.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
I think that I, a foreigner, am the only person Obsle trusts.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
The city is a traditional transit point and haven for migrants, and between 2020 and 2025, it received some 25,000 foreigners.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Growing tourism, meanwhile, pumped $50 billion into the local economy last year, according to official data, as curious Han Chinese and foreigners alike came to experience China’s Western frontier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
For years, foreigners loved France’s debt market, one of the world’s biggest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
According to Amnesty International, the country has executed around 100 people this year, many of whom are foreigners convicted of drug offences.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
It was much too dangerous: The KGB kept all foreigners in the Soviet Union under close surveillance.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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