FOILED Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

foiled

verb

Definition of foiled

past tense of foil

as in frustrated

to prevent from achieving a goal in popular fiction the hero will always foil the villain's plans

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of foiled Though the plot was foiled, investigators say Haji Zada pledged loyalty to ISIS and indoctrinated her family with ISIS ideology. — Elise Spenner, ABC News, 30 July 2026 Bad weather foiled SpaceX's latest attempt to launch its massive Starship rocket from South Texas. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 July 2026 In 2013, another designer, Sang Mun, released ZXX, a typeface with four fonts camouflaged with visual noise that foiled optical character recognition software while remaining visible to humans. — Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 In April, police foiled a car-ramming plot against a synagogue and Jewish school in Houston. — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026 In McBride’s work, collections of idiots and unlikable misfits strive for power and achievement and are inevitably foiled by their own flaws. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 16 July 2026 Sure, Lucky’s escape is nearly foiled by the fleet-of-foot federal agent, but the same could be said for dozens of similar encounters throughout the premiere, at more perilous junctures than a brief jog between immobile trailers. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 July 2026 Comcast’s previous attempt to acquire Rupert Murdoch’s 20th Century Fox was foiled by Disney’s own master dealmaker, Bob Iger, who paid a handsome $71 billion in 2018. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 30 June 2026 Some storekeepers’ plans were foiled. — Dan Greene, New Yorker, 20 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for foiled

Verb

Wealthy clients, who pay a premium for privacy, are increasingly frustrated by influencers and reviewrs disrupting their experiences with filming and photo shoots.

— Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Neighbors in Reisterstown, Maryland, say they are frustrated after losing power for the seventh time since June.

— Tara Lynch, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of frustrated

Verb

Gilligan’s Island, American television sitcom about a group of castaways on a desert island and the chaos that ensues as their attempts at rescue are constantly thwarted.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026
Recyclers have been thwarted by PVC’s chemical architecture, specifically its heavy chlorine content and dense cocktail of additives, which make melting and mechanical reprocessing almost impossible.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of thwarted

Verb

Authorities immediately launched a rescue operation involving firefighters, police, the National Disaster Response Force and civic officials but efforts were hampered by narrow access lanes that prevented the use of heavy machinery, officials said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Recovery efforts for the spacecraft, known as Ship 40, have been hampered by challenging conditions and rough seas.

— Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of hampered

Verb

She is baffled by the way her friends Moe and Fumina rail against their parents, especially when Yuko is always holding back at home, forever walking on eggshells.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Al Roker was baffled to come face to face with his doppelgänger on the Today show plaza.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of baffled

Verb

The 42-year-old was defeated by Yadier del Valle via first-round TKO in just 35 seconds, marking his second consecutive stoppage loss.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
This week, progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed defeated congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s Senate seat.

— NBC news, NBC news, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of defeated

Browse Nearby Words

foil

foiled

foiling

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“Foiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foiled. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of foiled

verb

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