Meaning & use
foisting
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“foisting” is a form of “foist”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitivedisapproving
The -ing form of foist: forcing someone to accept something they do not want, often through pressure or trickery.
Grammar: Takes an object plus on or upon: foisting a plan on the staff.
Patterns
- foisting something on someone
- foisting something upon someone
He is always foisting his opinions on his coworkers.
The shop was accused of foisting useless extras on customers.
Stop foisting your chores on your younger brother.
verbtransitiveold-fashioned
The -ing form of foist: passing off something of poor quality as something genuine or valuable.
Grammar: Often appears with off or on: foisting fakes on buyers.
Patterns
- foisting something off as something
The dealer was foisting forged paintings on collectors.
She suspected the seller of foisting cheap copies on tourists.
The company was caught foisting inferior parts on its clients.
Word forms
| base form | foist |
|---|---|
| third person singular | foists |
| past tense | foisted |
| -ing form | foisting |
Common combinations
- foisting something on someone
- The committee was foisting its decision on the town.
- foisting blame on
- He kept foisting blame on his assistant.
- foisting opinions
- I dislike people foisting opinions on strangers.
- foisting extra work
- The boss was foisting extra work on the new hire.
- foisting a product on customers
- Salespeople were foisting a pricey product on customers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- imposing
- Imposing is more neutral and can describe legitimate rules, while foisting always suggests something unwelcome.
- palming off
- Palming off is informal and stresses trickery in passing something worthless to someone.
- forcing
- Forcing is a broad word, whereas foisting highlights sneaky or unfair pressure.
- saddling
- Saddling suggests loading someone with a burden, while foisting is about making them accept something they do not want.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: foisting or hoist? foisting or foisting?
foisting vs hoist
Hoist means to lift something up, often with ropes, while foist means to force on someone.
foisting vs foisting
Easy to confuse in spelling with hoisting, but the meanings are unrelated.
Practice
Customers complained that the store was ____ expensive warranties they never asked for.
Choose one answer.
Foisting means pressing unwanted things on someone, which fits warranties customers never asked for. Hoisting means lifting and does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “foisting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.