foil

1 of 5

verb (1)

foiled; foiling; foils

transitive verb

1
a
: to prevent from attaining an end : defeat
always able to foil her enemies
Her accident foiled her from becoming a dancer.
b
: to bring to naught : thwart
foiled the plot
Police foiled an attempted robbery.
2
obsolete : trample

foil

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
: very thin sheet metal
aluminum foil
2
: a thin piece of material (such as metal) put under an inferior or paste stone to add color or brilliance
3
: someone or something that serves as a contrast to another
acted as a foil for a comedian
4
a
: an indentation between cusps in Gothic tracery
b
: one of several arcs that enclose a complex figure
5

foil

3 of 5

verb (2)

foiled; foiling; foils

transitive verb

1
: to back or cover with foil
2
: to enhance by contrast

foil

4 of 5

noun (2)

1
: a light fencing sword having a usually circular guard and a flexible blade of rectangular section tapering to a blunted point compare épée, saber
2
: the art or sport of fencing with the foil
often used in plural

foil

5 of 5

noun (3)

1
archaic : defeat
2
archaic : the track or trail of an animal
Choose the Right Synonym for foil

frustrate, thwart, foil, baffle, balk mean to check or defeat another's plan or block achievement of a goal.

frustrate implies making vain or ineffectual all efforts however vigorous or persistent.

frustrated attempts at government reform

thwart suggests frustration or checking by crossing or opposing.

the army thwarted his attempt at a coup

foil implies checking or defeating so as to discourage further effort.

foiled by her parents, he stopped trying to see her

baffle implies frustration by confusing or puzzling.

baffled by the maze of rules and regulations

balk suggests the interposing of obstacles or hindrances.

officials felt that legal restrictions had balked their efforts to control crime

Examples of foil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Many of Conti's members then reformed under the brand of the Hive ransomware operation—which turned out to have been infiltrated for months by the FBI and other agencies who were quietly stealing the group's decryption keys to foil hundreds of their extortion attempts. Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 7 Feb. 2024 Authorities say the thieves broke into the house in July 1969 in a bid to steal a coin collection, but were foiled by a burglar alarm. Matthew Brown, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024 After Haman's plot is foiled, the Jews are actually still in danger — because the king's decree to kill the Jews has gone out, and can't be repealed. Deena Prichep, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024 Dutch director Michaël Dudok de Wit delivers an unconventional tale of a turtle that repeatedly foils a man’s attempts to escape a tropical island. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2024 Home security video and alert neighbors foiled a scheme to stage a fake hit-and-run crash for an insurance payout, California authorities reported. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024 The delay came days after NASA's joint effort with private companies to put a U.S. lander on the moon failed after the launch of Peregrine Mission 1 was foiled by a fuel leak on Monday. USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 But my plan was foiled when the hotel emailed me its activities schedule one week prior to my departure. Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024 The first attempt was foiled by the 1929 stock-market crash; the second, in the ’80s, faced protests from famous residents, including Plimpton and FitzGerald. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 6 Feb. 2024
Noun
Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil the foil (or use a broiler pan). Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024 Cover the entire box with construction paper, leaving the single-viewing opening and the foil uncovered. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024 Top Four Villains: Shane, The Governor, Negan, Alpha Jon Bernthal’s Shane dominated the first two years of Walking Dead, providing Rick with a friendly foil who would foreshadow all the much worse bad guys still to come. Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024 Transfer steaks to a cutting board; tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing across the grain. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024 Remove foil, and continue to bake until bubbling around edges and hot, 15 to 20 minutes more. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2024 Flip the paper over, and use a pin or thumbtack to poke a small hole in the foil. Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024 Take your empty cereal box, cut an inch square in the middle, tape foil over the square and poke a small hole in the foil. Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024 Savior, villain, hero, foil — the region needs all of them. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English foilen "to trample, tread upon, mortify (the flesh), oppress," alteration of fullen "to full (cloth), trample down, oppress," perhaps by analogy with loanwords from French with palatal l that result in variants with -oi- and -u-, as coilen, cullen "to select for quality, pick out, cull entry 1" — more at full entry 5

Noun (1)

Middle English, leaf, from Anglo-French fuille, foille (from Latin folia, plural of folium) & fuil, from Latin folium — more at blade

Noun (2)

origin unknown

Noun (3)

derivative of foil entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foil was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near foil

Cite this Entry

“Foil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foil. Accessed 2 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

foil

1 of 3 verb
: to prevent from achieving a goal : defeat
foil a plot

foil

2 of 3 noun
1
: a very thin sheet of metal
tin or aluminum foil
2
: one that serves as a contrast to another
acted as a foil for the comedian

foil

3 of 3 noun
: a fencing weapon having a light flexible blade with a blunt point
Etymology

Verb

Middle English foilen "to trample underfoot," from early French fuller, fouler "to shrink and thicken (cloth), trample underfoot," from Latin fullare "to shrink and thicken (cloth)"

Noun

Middle English foil "leaf," from early French fuille, foille (same meaning), derived from Latin folium "leaf" — related to foliage

Noun

origin unknown

Medical Definition

foil

noun
: very thin sheet metal (as of gold or platinum) used especially in filling teeth

More from Merriam-Webster on foil

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