Noun
Many considered him a foe of democracy.
Her ability was acknowledged by friend and foe alike.
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Noun
Eventually, even the foes of the tolling will realize that Prof. Vickrey was correct and that everyone is better off.—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025 The Spartans swept all three foes by 7-0 scores to become the first school in league history to win four consecutive state tennis crowns.—Dave Wright, Twin Cities, 5 June 2025 Big East foe UConn will play the Jayhawks on Dec. 2 as part of a home-and-home series.—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025 The Bulldogs didn’t suffer a letdown against another conference foe after decisively sweeping the Trojans in the teams’ two regular-season games.—Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for foe
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English fo, from Old English fāh, from fāh, adjective, hostile; akin to Old High German gifēh hostile
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of foe was
before the 12th century
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