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

The foes met in the 1994 Class A championship game, when Warroad topped Hibbing, 5-3, and that was also the last time the Bluejackets were in the title game. —Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026

It's dubbed his Iron Spider-Man look because mechanical legs spring out from his back, capable of skewering any foe. —Chris McMullen, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Ancient foes Lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis are centuries-old afflictions. —Philip Budge, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026

After being wrongfully indicted for the murder of an Oxford professor, Sherlock teams up with his new friend and future foe, James Moriarty (Dónal Finn), to get to the bottom of an international conspiracy. —Max Gao, Variety, 5 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