Foe Meaning
/fəʊ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjHostile.
nounAn enemy.
Sentence Examples
He makes no friend who never made a foe.
Entering the foe's camp is full of danger.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The brave knight faced his fiercest ____ on the battlefield, ready to fight.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In the legend, the brave knight had to face his greatest ____ in a final battle at the castle.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English fo (“foe; hostile”), from earlier yfoh, yvo, ifa (“foe”), from Old English ġefāh (“enemy”), from fāh (“hostile”), from Proto-West Germanic *faih, from Proto-Germanic *faihaz (compare Old Frisian fāch (“punishable”), Middle High German gevēch (“feuder”)), from Proto-Indo-European *peyk/ḱ- (“to hate, be hostile”) (compare Middle Irish óech (“enemy, fiend”), Lithuanian pi̇̀ktas (“evil”)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And a mans foes ſhalbe they of his owne houſhold."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 10:36:
"Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee."
— 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The brave knight faced his fiercest ____ on the battlefield, ready to fight.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In the legend, the brave knight had to face his greatest ____ in a final battle at the castle.