foreign

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adjective for·eign \ˈfȯr-ən, ˈfär-\

Definition of foreign

1 : situated outside a place or country; especially : situated outside one's own country foreign cities
2 : born in, belonging to, or characteristic of some place or country other than the one under consideration has a large foreign population foreign languages
3 : of, relating to, or proceeding from some other person or material thing than the one under consideration foreign aid
4 : alien in character : not connected or pertinent this design is not foreign from some people's thoughts — Jonathan Swift
5 : related to or dealing with other nations foreign trade
6a : occurring in an abnormal situation in the living body and often introduced from outside a foreign body lodged in the esophagusb : not recognized by the immune system as part of the self foreign proteins
7 : not being within the jurisdiction of a political unit (such as a state) foreign corporations

foreignness

play \ˈfȯr-ən-nəs, ˈfär-\ noun

See foreign defined for English-language learners

See foreign defined for kids

Examples of foreign in a Sentence

They've visited several foreign countries.
We don't get many foreign visitors.
Have you studied any foreign languages?
She has a foreign accent.
the ministry of foreign affairs

Recent Examples of foreign from the Web

Knight Craft will testify Thursday before the Senate committee on foreign relations.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "John Calipari in DC to support Trump's pick for ambassador to Canada," 20 July 2017
Six months into his presidency, foundational republican concepts remain as foreign as ever to Trump.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Donald Trump: L’état, C’est Moi," 20 July 2017
The broadcaster has pushed abroad to expand its international presence, with deals to buy Eurosport and other foreign programming rights.

— michael j. de la merced and emily steel, New York Times, "Media Consolidation Is in the Air, and John Malone Is Fanning It," 19 July 2017
Video by Jimmy Burch jburch@star-telegram.com To prepare for the Australia trip, a foreign junket allowed once every four years under NCAA rules, TCU teams are allowed 10 practices before facing international competition in Sydney and Melbourne.

— jimmy burch, star-telegram, "TCU’s Fisher back from injury, ready to shine in Australia," 19 July 2017
Among them is American businessman Bill Browder, who was once the biggest foreign investor in Russia.

— CBS News, "Bill Browder on past dealings with Russian lawyer in Trump Jr. meeting," 18 July 2017
Though many used social media to criticize the woman, plenty of others came to her defense, highlighting the hypocrisy of this investigation when foreign women are not held to the same standards.

— maggie mallon, Glamour, "A Saudi Woman Was Arrested for Snapchatting Herself Wearing a Miniskirt in Public," 18 July 2017
Trump’s tweet Monday is his clearest and most unequivocal embrace of the argument that collusion with a foreign country (much less a largely adversarial one) is standard-operating procedure.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Trump Goes All In on the 'Collusion Is Normal' Defense," 17 July 2017
Publicly, foreign diplomats have said that Haiti is a sovereign country when asked about their position on the re-establishment of the armed forces.

— jacqueline charles, miamiherald, "Haiti opens army recruitment," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foreign.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of foreign

Middle English forein, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin foranus on the outside, from Latin foris outside — more at forum

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First Known Use: 13th century

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Synonym Discussion of foreign

extrinsic, extraneous, foreign, alien mean external to a thing, its essential nature, or its original character. extrinsic applies to what is distinctly outside the thing in question or is not contained in or derived from its essential nature. sentimental value that is extrinsic to the house's market value extraneous applies to what is on or comes from the outside and may or may not be capable of becoming an essential part. arguments extraneous to the issue foreign applies to what is so different as to be rejected or repelled or to be incapable of becoming assimilated. techniques foreign to French cuisine alien is stronger than foreign in suggesting opposition, repugnance, or irreconcilability. a practice totally alien to her nature

FOREIGN Defined for English Language Learners

foreign

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adjective

Definition of foreign for English Language Learners

: located outside a particular place or country and especially outside your own country
: coming from or belonging to a different place or country
: relating to or dealing with other nations

FOREIGN Defined for Kids

foreign

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adjective for·eign \ˈfȯr-ən\

Definition of foreign for Students

1 : located outside of a place or country and especially outside of a person's own country a foreign nation
2 : belonging to a place or country other than the one under consideration Do you speak a foreign language?
3 : relating to or having to do with other nations foreign trade
4 : not normally belonging or wanted where found foreign material in food

Medical Dictionary

foreign

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adjective for·eign \ˈfȯr-ən, ˈfär-\

Medical Definition of foreign

1: occurring in an abnormal situation in the living body and often introduced from outside a foreign body lodged in the esophagus
2: not recognized by the immune system as part of the self foreign proteins

Law Dictionary

foreign

adjective for·eign

Legal Definition of foreign

: not being within the jurisdiction of a political unit (as a state); especially : being from or in a state other than the one in which a matter is being considered a foreign company doing business in South Carolina a foreign executor submitting to the jurisdiction of this court a foreign judgment — compare domestic