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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Recent Examples of foiled
Then in 2022, Iran paid two members of an Eastern European criminal syndicate to kill the Iranian dissident and journalist Masih Alinejad at her home in Brooklyn; this attack was also foiled.
—
Colin P. Clarke, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
The other three, one in Clinton, and two in Kenosha, were foiled.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The plan is foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
However, Paxton has struggled to enforce the Texas court’s ruling against the out-of-state doctor, foiled so far by New York’s shield law.
—Emily Brindley
health Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foiled
Colin P. Clarke, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
The other three, one in Clinton, and two in Kenosha, were foiled.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The plan is foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
However, Paxton has struggled to enforce the Texas court’s ruling against the out-of-state doctor, foiled so far by New York’s shield law.
—Emily Brindley
health Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foiled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foiled
Verb
-
Victoria is frustrated by the lack of an arrest in her case.—
Rich Schapiro,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Local leaders, who are also frustrated by the change in policy, are fighting back, pressuring the state to reconsider.—
Cheryl Fiandaca,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Both problems also thwarted Artemis I, whose capsule returned with excessive heat shield damage.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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The livestream had originally been scheduled for April 1, but clouds thwarted the view.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Vertical living green walls comprised of live plants are a natural energy-saving method for improving indoor air quality and enhancing interior design, but they're hampered by inconsistent performance.—
Shirl Leigh
April 03,
New Atlas,
3 Apr. 2026
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Even if companies wanted to spend irresponsible amounts of money on AI compute, they’ve been hampered by supply chain constraints.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Late Show host appeared genuinely baffled by the president’s current poll numbers during his opening monologue on Tuesday, mostly due to the 22 percent of Americans who are still throwing their support behind the 79-year-old former reality star.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Apr. 2026
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No one, not even Jason — who is baffled at the galley’s sudden collapse — is more surprised at Ellie’s outburst than Ben.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It was defeated on a straight party-line vote, and our highly ideological legislature kept the gap between Title IX and Colorado law unresolved.—
Lisa Frizell,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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In the men’s final Monday, Connecticut and Michigan will play for the national championship after both roundly defeated their opponents in the semifinals.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foiled. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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