1
as in enemy
one that is hostile toward another
are you friend or foe?
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2
as in opponent
one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict
this Saturday our team will go up against our longtime foes in a game that will determine the champion of the conference
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foe
Critics of Trump’s blame-Biden approach say the attacks on his old foe are losing effectiveness as the rest of the country moves on from the 2024 election and the previous administration.
—
Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 3 May 2025
Amid much teetering and tottering, the gardeners fight off their foe, until finally the group successfully feeds part of the quilt into the rumbling machine.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 2 May 2025
Charles Koch has long been a foe of protectionism and an evangelist for free markets, competitive advantage, and mutual benefit.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 2 May 2025
Harvard has emerged as the Trump administration’s most high-profile foe after the White House’s Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism last month announced a freeze of more than $2 billion in its federal research funding.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for foe
Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 3 May 2025
Amid much teetering and tottering, the gardeners fight off their foe, until finally the group successfully feeds part of the quilt into the rumbling machine.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 2 May 2025
Charles Koch has long been a foe of protectionism and an evangelist for free markets, competitive advantage, and mutual benefit.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 2 May 2025
Harvard has emerged as the Trump administration’s most high-profile foe after the White House’s Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism last month announced a freeze of more than $2 billion in its federal research funding.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for foe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foe
Noun
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Coming from an impoverished family, Ding eagerly took part in public humiliation rallies against teachers, intellectuals, government officials and others labeled as enemies of Mao’s vision.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
-
Asking everyone else to leave, the two enemies have a private conversation that finally gets Faye out of Specter Litt Williams for good.—
Tanya Melendez,
EW.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Their opponent will be either Laval or Rochester, who are battling for the Northern Division championship.—
Steve Lyttle,
Charlotte Observer,
22 May 2025
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This creates space for team-mates: opponents are drawn away from Yamal on the left, while Lewandowski is able to work in the little pockets of space that appear around the edge of the penalty box.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Noun
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That was the worry among some of the Los Angeles Kings’ faithful – and a source of joy among fans of their rivals – as Holland was introduced as the Kings’ general manager on Thursday.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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If Boasberg buys Meta's argument that TikTok is actually Meta's biggest rival—and not Snap or MeWe—Meta could have an easier time shutting down the case.—
Ashley Belanger – May 16,
ArsTechnica,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foe. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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