foe

1 of 2

noun

1
: one who has personal enmity for another
Embrace, embrace, my Sons! be foes no more!Alexander Pope
2
a
: an enemy in war
b
: adversary, opponent
a political foe
3
: one who opposes on principle
a foe of needless expenditures
a foe of censorship
4
: something prejudicial or injurious

FOE

2 of 2

abbreviation

Fraternal Order of Eagles

Examples of foe in a Sentence

Noun Many considered him a foe of democracy. Her ability was acknowledged by friend and foe alike.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foe. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

foe

noun
1
: one who hates another
2
: an enemy in war

More from Merriam-Webster on foe

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