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
Noun
Lead attorneys on the House case include familiar NCAA foes Steve Berman and Jeffrey Kessler, who have previous victories in college athlete compensation cases on their records. Ralph D. Russo, Fortune, 25 May 2024 Meanwhile, Johnson retired from the WWE in 2004, but more recently returned and faced off against former foe John Cena. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 21 May 2024 After falling in an extra-inning upset to the Mavericks on Friday night, the Tigers had to fight their way back through the elimination bracket to meet the familiar foe in the regional final in Columbia. Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2024 Three of the Niners’ first six games are against division foes: Sept. 22 at the Rams, Oct. 6 vs. the Arizona Cardinals, and Oct. 10 at Seattle. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for foe 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near foe

Cite this Entry

“Foe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foe. Accessed 5 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

foe

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

More from Merriam-Webster on foe

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