1
: one who has personal enmity for another
Embrace, embrace, my Sons! be foes no more!—
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope3
: one who opposes on principle
a foe of needless expenditures
a foe of censorship
4
: something prejudicial or injurious
a foe to health
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
Greg Cote
may 20, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Baltimore has played seven road games against AL East foes this season and is 0-7.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
The indictment of Raul Castro though, who headed the Cuban military at the time of the shootdown, raises the temperature between the Cold War-era foes to a level not seen in decades.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
As the party splits between him and primary foe Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego city council member, Campa-Najjar’s allies worry that two Republicans could advance to the general election in a district Kamala Harris narrowly carried.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for foe
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Presently, only Arizona at +240 beats Miami’s +400 as the betting favorite for fewest wins, with the Jets and Raiders (Miami’s season-opening foe) close behind.
—Greg Cote
may 20, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Baltimore has played seven road games against AL East foes this season and is 0-7.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
The indictment of Raul Castro though, who headed the Cuban military at the time of the shootdown, raises the temperature between the Cold War-era foes to a level not seen in decades.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
As the party splits between him and primary foe Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego city council member, Campa-Najjar’s allies worry that two Republicans could advance to the general election in a district Kamala Harris narrowly carried.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for foe
Cite this Entry
“Foe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foe. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
foe
noun1
: one who hates another
2
: an enemy in war
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