foe

1 of 2

noun

1
: one who has personal enmity for another
Embrace, embrace, my Sons! be foes no more!Alexander Pope
2
a
: an enemy in war
b
: adversary, opponent
a political foe
3
: one who opposes on principle
a foe of needless expenditures
a foe of censorship
4
: something prejudicial or injurious

FOE

2 of 2

abbreviation

Fraternal Order of Eagles

Examples of foe in a Sentence

Noun Many considered him a foe of democracy. Her ability was acknowledged by friend and foe alike.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will make at least four changes when his team faces crosstown foe Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 Cathedral has outscored its two regional playoff foes 32-8 overall to reach its second SoCal title contest. Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025 The covert counterpart of that war is a campaign of subversion spanning the continent, as the Kremlin conducts sabotage and political destabilization operations meant to punish its European foes. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 The second round for the Redhawks, however, promises to be one versus a Bay State Conference foe in either No. 11 Framingham or No. 22 Brookline. Matt Feld, Boston Herald, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foe

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fo, from Old English fāh, from fāh, adjective, hostile; akin to Old High German gifēh hostile

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foe was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foe. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

foe

noun
1
: one who hates another
2
: an enemy in war

More from Merriam-Webster on foe

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