Noun
Many considered him a foe of democracy.
Her ability was acknowledged by friend and foe alike.
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Noun
The Twins beat the Royals 5-4 on Saturday afternoon at Target Field, using a Lee single to capture their second win in as many days over their division foes.—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 24 May 2025 Marvel films are littered with figures we’re supposed to identify with who triumph over their foes by showily revealing their true selves.—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 May 2025 Under McQuarrie, the relatively episodic franchise became slightly more serialized; the ensemble around Cruise tightened, with characters like Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust and Vanessa Kirby’s White Widow becoming recurring friends and foes.—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 23 May 2025 Trump, who has painted past legal cases against him as an improper political use of law enforcement, has in a number of instances called for probes of his foes.—Sarah N. Lynch, USA Today, 22 May 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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