Noun
Many considered him a foe of democracy.
Her ability was acknowledged by friend and foe alike.
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Noun
The club’s 48 points are the most league-wide, but fellow Eastern Conference foes Nashville SC and Philadelphia Union aren’t far behind.—Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 26 July 2025 President Donald Trump is once again aiming at his usual late-night foes.—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 23 July 2025 The two foes traded hundreds of strikes, with the U.S. conducting its own series of strikes against the key Iranian enrichment sites of Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, followed by an Iranian missile strike on a U.S. base in Qatar, until Trump announced a ceasefire on June 24.—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025 Ernst said warm things about Nikki Haley, Trump’s top primary foe, but quickly backed him after Haley dropped out in 2024.—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 July 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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