1
as in enemies
one that is hostile toward another
are you friend or foe?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opponents
one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict
this Saturday our team will go up against our longtime foes in a game that will determine the champion of the conference
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of foes
Philly’s fans show out like few others can, and they’ll be leveled up in the presence of such familiar foes.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 May 2026
But Sean Payton’s team was also abnormally good in one-score games, won its final two against division foes without their starting quarterbacks, played a third-place schedule and stayed fairly healthy — until overtime of the divisional round, at least.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 May 2026
First released in 2016 by the manufacturer Ohta, Monster Wolf was originally designed to ward off the agricultural foes like boars, deer, and the island nation’s Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 May 2026
The meeting with the head of the CIA, the same agency Cuba has long accused of sabotaging its revolution, comes as tensions between the Cold War-era foes have risen to the highest point in decades.
—Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
The 2026 opener will serve as the 13th time the Cowboys have opened the season against the Giants, with Dallas owning an 11-1 record all-time against its divisional foes in season openers.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
While the Packers have known their 2026 opponents for more than four months, the order of those foes was revealed Thursday evening.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
SoFi Stadium will host the Super Bowl next February, and the Battle For Los Angeles in Week 8 when the Chargers play at the Rams, a rare meaningful matchup of the crosstown foes.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Coming to Levi’s Stadium, after next month’s FIFA World Cup games, are all three NFC West foes (Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks) plus the Las Vegas Raiders, the Denver Broncos, the Miami Dolphins, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Commanders.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 May 2026
But Sean Payton’s team was also abnormally good in one-score games, won its final two against division foes without their starting quarterbacks, played a third-place schedule and stayed fairly healthy — until overtime of the divisional round, at least.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 May 2026
First released in 2016 by the manufacturer Ohta, Monster Wolf was originally designed to ward off the agricultural foes like boars, deer, and the island nation’s Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 May 2026
The meeting with the head of the CIA, the same agency Cuba has long accused of sabotaging its revolution, comes as tensions between the Cold War-era foes have risen to the highest point in decades.
—Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
The 2026 opener will serve as the 13th time the Cowboys have opened the season against the Giants, with Dallas owning an 11-1 record all-time against its divisional foes in season openers.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
While the Packers have known their 2026 opponents for more than four months, the order of those foes was revealed Thursday evening.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
SoFi Stadium will host the Super Bowl next February, and the Battle For Los Angeles in Week 8 when the Chargers play at the Rams, a rare meaningful matchup of the crosstown foes.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Coming to Levi’s Stadium, after next month’s FIFA World Cup games, are all three NFC West foes (Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks) plus the Las Vegas Raiders, the Denver Broncos, the Miami Dolphins, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Commanders.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foes
Noun
-
Vaccines present either defanged pathogens or distinctive fragments of them to specialized immune cells—namely, T cells and antibody-producing B cells—that can then learn to identify those microbial enemies.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
-
His history with China has not been positive — he is embroiled with allies and enemies, and faces an economy that could derail his leadership.—
Rob Crilly,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Their season has been busy, grumpy and overstretched, and pressure has been a niggling, constant companion, particularly at home, but their opponents on Sunday were hapless, soft in defence and muddled in their thinking.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
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His hope was that Mendoza would help the Raiders do the same, figuratively, for their opponents.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
White Sox fans got the last laugh on Sunday afternoon as their squad completed a wild, thrilling comeback victory over their crosstown rivals.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
-
Ronda Rousey needed just 17 seconds to defeat Gina Carano via armbar on Saturday night, and her rivals needed about the same amount of time to take to social media to mock the performance.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foes. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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