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

Since its season-opening loss to Florida State, Alabama has rebounded nicely with four straight wins, its last two coming over formidable foes in Georgia and Vanderbilt. —Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025

That was followed by wins over Idaho State, in-state rival New Mexico State and the Big Ten’s UCLA — the program’s first victory over a power-conference foe since defeating Arizona in 2008. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2025

In doing so, Loyd alerted the Mercury’s fervent crowd, known for rattling opponents, its mojo wouldn’t work on this foe. —Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

Unlike Call of Duty, where everyone is essentially their own one-man Rambo, there’s more to Battlefield than just sprinting around endlessly killing foes. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 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