1
as in enemies
one that is hostile toward another
are you friend or foe?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opponents
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foes
Defeating Lebanon’s Hezbollah, including killing Nasrallah, and bombing Iran’s facilities in June (with Trump sending American warplanes to assist) were widely seen by Israelis as historic victories over the country’s most threatening foes.
—
Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
Start the man who has thrown more touchdowns against the Dolphins than his other AFC East foes combined.
—Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Sticking with the Cowboys would have been a disaster, as the Eagles methodically pulled apart their NFC East foes by a 41-7 margin.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 7 Nov. 2025
The move from the Mountain West will open up the possibility of playing former league foes who are not making the jump to the Pac-12, meaning future nonconference games might feature very familiar opponents.
—Idaho Statesman, 7 Nov. 2025
The Patriots have already beaten their three previous NFC South foes, the Panthers, Saints and Falcons.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Even to her longtime political foes, Pelosi was viewed as one of the most effective speakers, and Democratic leaders, in history, holding the party caucus together to shepherd through massive legislation, like the Affordable Care Act, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s healthcare agenda.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Communists were also the most vigorous foes of fascism—except for twenty-two notorious months beginning in late August 1939, when the USSR signed a nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Some of them were former foes, while others are superstars he's never faced in the ring.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
Start the man who has thrown more touchdowns against the Dolphins than his other AFC East foes combined.
—Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Sticking with the Cowboys would have been a disaster, as the Eagles methodically pulled apart their NFC East foes by a 41-7 margin.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 7 Nov. 2025
The move from the Mountain West will open up the possibility of playing former league foes who are not making the jump to the Pac-12, meaning future nonconference games might feature very familiar opponents.
—Idaho Statesman, 7 Nov. 2025
The Patriots have already beaten their three previous NFC South foes, the Panthers, Saints and Falcons.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Even to her longtime political foes, Pelosi was viewed as one of the most effective speakers, and Democratic leaders, in history, holding the party caucus together to shepherd through massive legislation, like the Affordable Care Act, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s healthcare agenda.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Communists were also the most vigorous foes of fascism—except for twenty-two notorious months beginning in late August 1939, when the USSR signed a nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Some of them were former foes, while others are superstars he's never faced in the ring.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foes
Noun
-
That stark reality forced both sides to wage slash-and-burn propaganda campaigns designed to sow doubt and disinformation among their enemies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But he’s considered a centrist Democrat and has attracted political enemies from both the Right and Progressives, the former due to his pro-LBGT policies and the latter due to his support of centrist leaders such as District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In New York City, State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race against high-profile opponents.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
A number of billionaires collectively spent more than $22 million to back Mamdani’s opponents, according to Forbes.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Sea’s operating expenses also jumped by 28%, as its e-commerce arm Shopee tries to strengthen its competitive edge of rivals like Alibaba’s Lazada and ByteDance’s TikTok Shop.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
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American pasta makers regularly complain that their Italian rivals are underpricing their goods.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foes. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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