foists

verb

present tense third-person singular of foist
as in imposes
to offer (something fake, useless, or inferior) as genuine, useful, or valuable shopkeepers who foist shoddy souvenirs on unsuspecting tourists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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 foists What’s next for Albania The things that make visiting Albania so wonderful—jaw-dropping scenery and that every restaurateur and hotelier foists their father’s homemade raki (grape brandy) on everyone, immediately—remain firmly in place. — Naomi Tomky, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foists
  1. imposes
  2. inflicts
  3. wishes
Verb
  • The limitations that the language barrier imposes between Haitians and Dominicans have been recognized by public, private and religious institutions alike, which have all sought to remedy it in their own piecemeal ways.
    — Kendall Medford, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Discord requires users to be at least 13 years old and imposes restrictions on accounts in the 13-17 age group.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of imposes
Verb
  • The betrayal Murray inflicts on Tremblay’s Kaczynski is compelling, even as the film presses it into service as an explanation for every horror that followed.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The more suffering Russia inflicts on Ukrainian civilians, the more Europe invests in Ukraine’s defense and its own.
    — MICHAEL KIMMAGE, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of inflicts
Verb
  • The Board is most grateful for Ynon’s eight years of transformational leadership, and wishes him every success in his new role.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
  • If the current American government, within international legal frameworks, wishes to reach an agreement, fine.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of wishes

Browse Nearby Words

foisting
foists
fold
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foists. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All