foe

1 of 2

noun

ˈfō 

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

a foe to health

FOE

2 of 2

abbreviation

Fraternal Order of Eagles

Synonyms of foe

Noun

• enemy
• opponent

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

Which is, on paper, a savvy complement to Sutton, who can move the chains, body up smaller foes outside the hashes and win jump balls in the end zone. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2026

In the film, Super Sailor Moon must battle a foe who is out to get the Legendary Silver Crystal from Moon Palace’s enchanting hall. —Jeffrey Miller, Daily News, 20 Mar. 2026

Former foe Hayden Stagg (Stephen Graham) even joins the Peaky Blinders to shoot up the Nazis. —Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026

And the Assads—who had spent their careers prying lies from spies—recognized the lies their neighbors, and some government officials, liked to tell themselves, lies that foes of the US had always counted on. —Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026

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

Phrases Containing foe

• mortal foe/rival

Rhymes for foe

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

Kids Definition

foe

noun

ˈfō 

1

: one who hates another

2

: an enemy in war