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
Kidnapping plot foiled Investigators contacted the person and disclosed the kidnapping-for-hire plot.
—
Kendrick Calfee
may 8, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
Spirit Airlines collapsed over the weekend, and the carrier said the surge in jet fuel costs foiled its plans to emerge from bankruptcy midyear.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Their plan is eventually foiled, however, when Creasy is hit with a shocking development that changes everything.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
The weekend, of course, was notable for an assassination attempt, foiled by quick-thinking Secret Service agents stationed outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
—Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for foiled
Kendrick Calfee
may 8, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
Spirit Airlines collapsed over the weekend, and the carrier said the surge in jet fuel costs foiled its plans to emerge from bankruptcy midyear.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Their plan is eventually foiled, however, when Creasy is hit with a shocking development that changes everything.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
The weekend, of course, was notable for an assassination attempt, foiled by quick-thinking Secret Service agents stationed outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
—Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for foiled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foiled
Verb
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Other disciplines and domains are highly exasperated and frustrated that somehow philosophy is getting a moment in the sun to the exclusion of other bona fide majors that ought to be given due consideration.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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The news comes five months after the Daily Mail said that Mirren was growing increasingly frustrated with Hardy.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Verb
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The environmental high point of the past year for me was when Western politicians, led by Republican Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana and backed by constituents across the political spectrum, thwarted Senator Mike Lee’s plans to sell off public lands.—
John Reid,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
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But the plan gets thwarted when said camboy is murdered in the process, setting Paula off into a spiral to uncover what happened and clear her name.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The original plan was to open the museum in 2020, but fundraising efforts were hampered by the 2017 Thomas fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes in the area.—
Deborah Netburn,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
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Civilian drone activity has hampered firefighting efforts.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Verb
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They are baffled by filmmakers who do not think more aggressively about sustainability, ownership, and business models around their work.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
18 May 2026
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Such an unconventional approach baffled plenty of people, including the show’s musical composer Marvin Hamlisch, who at the time was in high demand in the film industry and halfway to becoming an EGOT.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
18 May 2026
Verb
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McGregor first fought at welterweight in 2016 in a shocking loss to Diaz, then defeated Diaz later that year, again in the 170-pound division.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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True North Classical Academy defeated SLAM (Tampa) in five sets in the 1A state final.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foiled. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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