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 esophagus
b
: 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
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
February 2021 Words of the Day Quiz
-
- Which is a synonym of perdure?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share foreign
Time Traveler for foreign
The first known use of foreign was in the 13th century
See more words from the same century