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

FOE

2 of 2

abbreviation

Fraternal Order of Eagles

Synonyms

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

And while Serena did not name the former foe, Venus had her own recollection of what happened behind the scenes. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025

But soon enough, old secrets and new foes force them back together. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025

Tri-Valley League foes Bellingham (17-2) and defending champion Medfield (16-4) are set to battle for the Div. —Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025

Previous low by a KU exhibition foe was 41 points in a 106-41 victory over Chile on July 7, 2015, in South Korea. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2025

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