as in frustrated
to prevent from achieving a goal
in popular fiction the hero will always foil the villain's plans
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foiled
My wife jokes about the cat having foiled our murder plot yet again.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
One researcher claimed authorities could have foiled the attack by unearthing connections between hijackers through public information in databases.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
But Hunter wasn’t able to reap the benefits of the machine before Wednesday foiled the plan.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025
After the peloton foiled any early breaks, a 12-man group, which included most of the GC contenders, left the peloton behind close to the summit of El Vivero, 24 kilometers from the finish line.
—CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foiled
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
One researcher claimed authorities could have foiled the attack by unearthing connections between hijackers through public information in databases.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
But Hunter wasn’t able to reap the benefits of the machine before Wednesday foiled the plan.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025
After the peloton foiled any early breaks, a 12-man group, which included most of the GC contenders, left the peloton behind close to the summit of El Vivero, 24 kilometers from the finish line.
—CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foiled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foiled
Verb
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But Republicans never shut down the government during the Biden presidency, and Vought grew increasingly frustrated with them for not using more aggressive tactics.—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
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Trump is growing increasingly frustrated at Putin’s unwillingness to discuss American ceasefire proposals.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That doomed plan lasted only minutes, thwarted by Simone herself.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
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Activists’ efforts to reach Gaza by sea have been thwarted before.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While our study dating back to 1984 found that certain environmental contaminants induce T cells that suppress the immune system, further study on such cells was hampered by an inability in the field at large to isolate and characterize these cells.—
Mitzi Nagarkatti,
The Conversation,
10 Oct. 2025
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An independent review released in September found that Los Angeles County’s emergency response was hampered by outdated technology, staffing shortages and inconsistent evacuation procedures.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And suddenly, Glenn and the Jets headed to halftime without running a play in the nearly 40 seconds at their disposal, a move that baffled both their loyalists in New Jersey and the Broncos’ sideline across the pond.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
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What started as a tense visit quickly escalated into a situation that left the whole family baffled and frustrated.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foiled. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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