Meaning & use
foe
Last updated
UK/fəʊ/
US/foʊ/
Meaning
nouncountable
A person, group or force that opposes you and wishes to harm or defeat you.
Grammar: Regular countable noun, often paired with friend: friend or foe.
Patterns
- a foe of something
- friend or foe
The two kingdoms were old foes.
She faced her fiercest foe in the final match.
The soldier could not tell friend from foe in the dark.
Word forms
| plural | foes |
|---|
Common combinations
- friend or foe
- The guard asked whether they came as friend or foe.
- a formidable foe
- The champion proved a formidable foe.
- old foe
- The team beat its old foe at last.
- sworn foe
- He was a sworn foe of corruption.
- a worthy foe
- Each saw the other as a worthy foe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enemy
- The ordinary everyday word; foe sounds more dramatic or old-fashioned.
- adversary
- More formal, often used for an opponent in a contest or dispute.
- rival
- Competes for the same goal but need not wish to harm you.
Opposites
Commonly confused: foe or faux?
foe vs faux
Faux means imitation and is pronounced differently; it is not a word for an enemy.
Practice
In the old story, the hero finally defeated his lifelong ___.
Choose one answer.
A foe is an enemy, which fits a hero defeating an opponent. A fan or guest would not need to be defeated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “foe”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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