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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
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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
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Foreign tourists in Japan should be allowed to use their passports as ID, the expert panel said last month.
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Regardless of these conventions, foreign fishermen may claim historic fishing rights going back decades or even centuries.
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Any American who travels to any foreign country must always strive to not be an ugly American.
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Sunni M. Khalid is a former foreign correspondent writing a book on modern Egypt.
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Kentucky isn't eligible for a foreign tour and practice can't begin until late September.
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The Anne docked at Occidental Petroleum’s terminal to determine if some of the world’s biggest carriers could start ferrying oil from Texas to foreign buyers.
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Ms. Merkel’s foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had notified Germany of plans to deliver a speech to supporters on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg on July 7 and 8.
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Taking safety shortcuts to boost productivity to the level managers wanted to see isn’t just a foreign problem, Almodovar warned.
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
Synonym Discussion of foreign
FOREIGN Defined for English Language Learners
foreign
playDefinition of foreign for English Language Learners
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: located outside a particular place or country and especially outside your own country
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: coming from or belonging to a different place or country
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: relating to or dealing with other nations
FOREIGN Defined for Kids
foreign
playDefinition 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
playMedical 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
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
Learn More about foreign
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See words that rhyme with foreign Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for foreign Spanish Central: Translation of foreign Nglish: Translation of foreign for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of foreign for Arabic speakers
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