foe

1 of 2

noun

ˈfō 

1

: one who has personal enmity for another

Embrace, embrace, my Sons! be foes no more!

—Alexander Pope

2

a

: an enemy in war

b

: adversary, opponent

a political foe

3

: one who opposes on principle

a foe of needless expenditures

a foe of censorship

4

: something prejudicial or injurious

a foe to health

FOE

2 of 2

abbreviation

Fraternal Order of Eagles

Synonyms of foe

Noun

• enemy
• opponent

Examples of foe in a Sentence

Noun

Many considered him a foe of democracy.

Her ability was acknowledged by friend and foe alike.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Jones won a close battle with Avery Tibbs of downstate Washington and fellow DuPage Valley Conference foe Danyella Mporokoso of Waubonsie Valley to win the award, as voted on by coaches and media statewide. —Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

Hernandez campaigned as a foe of gentrification while pledging to combat homelessness and shift funding from law enforcement to unarmed crisis response teams and other services. —Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

Alfred Molina, Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, Clarke Peters, Alfre Woodard and Denis O'Hare make up the ensemble of retirees contending with an unknown supernatural foe. —Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026

Comey is among multiple foes of the Republican president to come under scrutiny by the Justice Department over the last year, including as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche aims to position himself as the right person to hold the job permanently. —Alanna Durkin Richer, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026

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

Phrases Containing foe

• mortal foe/rival

Rhymes for foe

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

Kids Definition

foe

noun

ˈfō 

1

: one who hates another

2

: an enemy in war