foment

1 of 2

verb

fo·​ment ˈfō-ˌment  fō-ˈment 

fomented; fomenting; foments

transitive verb

: to promote the growth or development of : rouse, incite

foment a rebellion

was accused of fomenting a riot

fomenter noun

fomenter

2 of 2

noun

fo·​ment·​er

(ˈ)fō¦mentə(r)

plural -s

: one that foments

a fomenter of class antagonisms

—D. M. Potter

Did you know?

If you had sore muscles in the 1600s, your doctor might have advised you to foment the injury, perhaps with heated lotions or warm wax. Does this sound like an odd prescription? It's less so if you know that foment traces to the Latin verb fovēre, which means "to heat or warm" or "to soothe." The earliest documented English uses of foment appear in medical texts offering advice on how to soothe various aches and pains by the application of moist heat. In time, the idea of applying heat became a metaphor for stimulating or rousing to action. Foment then started being used in political contexts to mean "to stir up" or "to call to action."

Synonyms of foment

Verb

• provoke
• promote

Choose the Right Synonym for foment

incite, instigate, abet, foment mean to spur to action.

incite stresses a stirring up and urging on, and may or may not imply initiating.

inciting a riot

instigate definitely implies responsibility for initiating another's action and often connotes underhandedness or evil intention.

instigated a conspiracy

abet implies both assisting and encouraging.

aiding and abetting the enemy

foment implies persistence in goading.

fomenting rebellion

Examples of foment in a Sentence

Verb

He was accused of fomenting violence.

John Adams's wife, Abigail, told him that if women were not remembered by the new American government, they would “foment a Rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation”.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

His envoy, Steve Witkoff, flew to Oman in April 2025 to foment diplomacy. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 June 2026

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, has called for calm, but several far-right personalities in Great Britain and the United States—including Elon Musk—have used the attack to foment hatred against immigrants. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 12 June 2026

The proposal is backed by the populist Swiss People’s Party, which has the most seats in parliament and has for years thrived off and fomented an isolationist streak in Switzerland. — Jamey Keaten, Fortune, 10 June 2026

And in this rote, dutiful steadiness, I was struck by the patient sincerity of it all—and by a sense that these believers were already fomenting, in admittedly small numbers, the kind of unity that Esperanto’s skeptics say the language could never help facilitate. — Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, to apply a warm substance to, from Late Latin fomentare, from Latin fomentum compress, from fovēre to heat, soothe; akin to Lithuanian degti to burn, Sanskrit dahati it burns

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1613, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

foment

verb

fo·​ment ˈfō-ˌment  fō-ˈmənt 

: to stir up : rouse, instigate

foment rebellion

fomenter noun

Medical Definition

foment

1 of 2 noun

fo·​ment ˈfō-ˌment 

: fomentation

foment

2 of 2 transitive verb

fo·​ment fō-ˈment 

: to treat with moist heat (as for easing pain)