What does foil mean?

Definitions for foil
fɔɪlfoil

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word foil.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. foilnoun

    a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal

    "the photographic film was wrapped in foil"

  2. foil, enhancernoun

    anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities

    "pretty girls like plain friends as foils"

  3. hydrofoil, foilnoun

    a device consisting of a flat or curved piece (as a metal plate) so that its surface reacts to the water it is passing through

    "the fins of a fish act as hydrofoils"

  4. foil, transparencynoun

    picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector

  5. foilverb

    a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button

  6. foilverb

    enhance by contrast

    "In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background"

  7. thwart, queer, spoil, scotch, foil, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilkverb

    hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

    "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent"

  8. foilverb

    cover or back with foil

    "foil mirrors"

Wiktionary

  1. FOILverb

    To apply the FOIL algorithm to.

  2. FOILnoun

    A particular algorithm for multiplying two binomials.

  3. foilnoun

    A very thin sheet of metal.

  4. foilnoun

    Thin aluminium/aluminum (or, formerly, tin) used for wrapping food.

  5. foil

    A thin layer of metal put between a jewel and its setting to make it seem more brilliant.

  6. foil

    In literature, theatre/theater, etc, a character who helps emphasize the traits of the main character.

  7. foil

    Anything that acts to emphasise the characteristics of something.

  8. foil

    A very thin sword with a blunted (or foiled) tip

  9. foil

    A thin, transparent plastic material on which marks are made and projected for the purposes of presentation. See transparency.

  10. foil

    A stylized flower or leaf.

  11. foil

    Shortened form of hydrofoil.

  12. foilverb

    To prevent (something) from being accomplished.

  13. foilverb

    To prevent (someone) from accomplishing something.

  14. foilnoun

    The track of an animal.

  15. foilverb

    To multiply two binomials together.

  16. foil

    Shortened form of aerofoil/airfoil.

  17. Etymology: of first outer inner last or similar.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Foilnoun

    Etymology: from the verb.

    We of thy cunning had no diffidence;
    One sudden foil shall never breed distrust. William Shakespeare, Hen. VI.

    Whosoever overthroweth his mate in such sort, as that either his back, or the one shoulder, and contrary heel do touch the ground, shall be accounted to give the fall: if he be endangered, and make a narrow escape, it is called a foil. Carew.

    So after many a foil the tempter proud,
    Renewing fresh assaults, amidst his pride,
    Fell whence he stood to see his victor fall. John Milton, P. Lost.

    When age shall level me to impotence,
    And sweating pleasure leave me on the foil. Thomas Southerne.

    Death never won a stake with greater toil,
    Nor e’er was fate so near a foil. Dryden.

    A stately palace, built of squared brick,
    Which cunningly was without mortar laid,
    Whose walls were high, but nothing strong nor thick,
    And golden foil all over them display’d. Fairy Queen, b. i.

    Fame is no plant that grows on mortal soil,
    Nor in the glistering foil
    Set off to th’ world, nor in broad rumour lies. John Milton.

    As she a black silk cap on him begun
    To set for foil of his milk-white to serve. Philip Sidney.

    Like bright metal on a sullen ground,
    My reformation glittering o’er my fault,
    Shall shew more goodly, and attract more eyes,
    Than that which hath no foil to set it off. William Shakespeare, Hen. IV.

    The sullen passage of thy weary steps
    Esteem a foil, wherein thou art to set
    The precious jewel of thy home. William Shakespeare.

    ’Tis the property of all true diamonds to unite the foil closely itself, and thereby better augment its lustre: the foil is a mixture of mastich and burnt ivory. Nehemiah Grew, Musæum.

    Hector has a foil to set him off: we are perpetually opposing the incontinence of Paris to the temperance of Hector. Notes on the Odyssey.

    He that plays the king shall be welcome; his majesty shall have tribute of me: the adventurous knight shall use his foil and target. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

  2. To FOILverb

    To put to the worst; to defeat, though without a complete victory.

    Etymology: affoler, to wound, old French.

    Amazement seiz’d
    The rebel thrones; but greater rage to see
    Thus foil’d their mightiest. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. vi.

    Leader of those armies bright,
    Which but th’ omnipotent none could have foil’d! John Milton.

    Yet these subject not: I to thee disclose
    What inward thence I feel, not therefore foil’d:
    Who meet with various objects, from the sense Variously representing; yet still free,
    Approve the best, and follow what I approve. John Milton, P. Lost.

    Strange, that your fingers should the pencil foil,
    Without the help of colours or of oil! Edmund Waller.

    He had been foiled in the cure, and had left it to nature. Richard Wiseman, Surgery.

    In their conflicts with sin they have been so often foiled, that they now despair of ever getting the day. Edmund Calamy, Serm.

    Virtue, disdain, despair, I oft have try’d;
    And, foil’d, have with new arms my foe defy’d. Dryden.

    But I, the consort of the Thunderer,
    Have wag’d a long and unsuccessful war;
    With various arts and arms in vain have toil’d,
    And by a mortal man at length am foil’d. John Dryden, Æn.

ChatGPT

  1. foil

    Foil is a literary device used to highlight or reveal certain traits and characteristics of a character by contrasting them with another character. This comparative character often possesses traits that are opposite to the main character, amplifying their qualities, emotions, or motivations. The term ‘foil’ originally comes from the practice of backing gems with foil to make them shine more brightly in jewelry. Additionally, foil can also refer to a thin sheet of metal, often used for packaging or cooking.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Foilverb

    to tread under foot; to trample

  2. Foilverb

    to render (an effort or attempt) vain or nugatory; to baffle; to outwit; to balk; to frustrate; to defeat

  3. Foilverb

    to blunt; to dull; to spoil; as, to foil the scent in chase

  4. Foilverb

    to defile; to soil

  5. Foilnoun

    failure of success when on the point of attainment; defeat; frustration; miscarriage

  6. Foilnoun

    a blunt weapon used in fencing, resembling a smallsword in the main, but usually lighter and having a button at the point

  7. Foilnoun

    the track or trail of an animal

  8. Foilnoun

    a leaf or very thin sheet of metal; as, brass foil; tin foil; gold foil

  9. Foilnoun

    a thin leaf of sheet copper silvered and burnished, and afterwards coated with transparent colors mixed with isinglass; -- employed by jewelers to give color or brilliancy to pastes and inferior stones

  10. Foilnoun

    anything that serves by contrast of color or quality to adorn or set off another thing to advantage

  11. Foilnoun

    a thin coat of tin, with quicksilver, laid on the back of a looking-glass, to cause reflection

  12. Foilnoun

    the space between the cusps in Gothic architecture; a rounded or leaflike ornament, in windows, niches, etc. A group of foils is called trefoil, quatrefoil, quinquefoil, etc., according to the number of arcs of which it is composed

  13. Etymology: [See 6th File.]

Wikidata

  1. Foil

    In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character. A foil usually either differs drastically or is extremely similar but with a key difference setting them apart. The concept of a foil is also more widely applied to any comparison that is made to contrast a difference between two things. Thomas F. Gieryn places these uses of literary foils into three categories which Tamara Antoine and Pauline Metze explain as: those that emphasize the heightened contrast, those that operate by exclusion, and those that assign blame. In Pride and Prejudice, Mary's absorption in her studies places her as a foil to her sister Elizabeth Bennet's lively and distracted nature. Similarly, in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, the character Brutus has foils in the two characters Cassius and Mark Antony. In the Harry Potter series, Draco Malfoy can be seen as a foil to the Harry Potter character; Professor Snape enables both characters "to experience the essential adventures of self-determination" but they make different choices.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Foil

    foil, v.t. to defeat: to puzzle: to disappoint: (Spens.) to beat down or trample with the feet:—pr.p. foil′ing; pa.p. foiled.—n. failure after success seemed certain: defeat: a blunt sword used in fencing, having a button on the point.—Put to the foil, to blemish. [O. Fr. fuler, to stamp or crush—Low L. fullarefullo, a fuller of cloth.]

  2. Foil

    foil, n. a leaf or thin plate of metal, as tin-foil: a thin leaf of metal put under precious stones to increase their lustre or change their colour: anything that serves to set off something else: a small arc in the tracery of a window, &c. (trefoiled, cinquefoiled, multifoiled, &c.).—adj. Foiled.—n. Foil′ing. [O. Fr. foil (Fr. feuille)—L. folium, a leaf.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. foil

    A blunt, elastic, sword-like implement used in fencing.--To foil means to disconcert or defeat an enemy's intention.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. foil

    A long piece of steel of an elastic temper, mounted somewhat like a sword, which is used to learn to fence with; it is without a point, or any sharpness, having a button at the extremity covered with leather.

  2. foil

    To render vain or nugatory as an effort or attempt; to frustrate; to defeat; to baffle; to balk; as, the enemy attempted to pass the river, but was foiled; he foiled his adversaries.

Suggested Resources

  1. FOIL

    What does FOIL stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the FOIL acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. FOIL

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Foil is ranked #45804 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Foil surname appeared 466 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Foil.

    95.9% or 447 total occurrences were White.
    1.9% or 9 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.5% or 7 total occurrences were of two or more races.

Anagrams for foil »

  1. Filo

  2. filo

  3. LIFO

  4. lo-fi

How to pronounce foil?

How to say foil in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of foil in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of foil in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of foil in a Sentence

  1. Benjamin Netanyahu:

    Temple Mount will remain as is and will be managed as Temple Mount is now. Arrangements for visits by Jews to Temple Mount are safeguarded ; there will be no change in them, just as the prayer arrangements for the Muslims, israel has an interest in stationing cameras in all parts of Temple Mount. First, in order to disprove the claim that Israel is changing the status quo. Second, to show where the provocations really come from and to foil them before they ever happen.

  2. Mullah Mansour:

    The creation of different groups ... is the last conspiracy of the invaders for continuation of the American proxy war in Afghanistan, god willing, the Afghan Muslim people will, through their strengthening of unity, foil this conspiracy.

  3. Philip Luther:

    There is strong evidence that Israeli forces committed war crimes in their relentless and massive bombardment of residential areas of Rafah in order to foil the capture of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, displaying a shocking disregard for civilian lives, they carried out a series of disproportionate or otherwise indiscriminate attacks, which they have completely failed to investigate independently.

  4. American Tom Watson:

    That Sunday morning of the playoff against Jack Newton I was leaving the house, and it's raining, it's cold, and here comes a little Scottish girl, comes up to the front door and said' Mr American Tom Watson, please take this for good luck,' i could barely understand her, but I finally figured it out. She gave me a little thing of tin foil, and in it was some white heather, I kept that in my bag for years for good luck, and it brought me good luck.

  5. Doug Watts:

    Mr. Clarridge has incomplete knowledge of the daily, not weekly briefings, that Dr. Carson receives on important national security matters from former military and state department officials. He is coming to the end of a long career of serving our country, mr. Clarridge's input to Dr. Carson is appreciated but he is clearly not one of Dr. Carson's top advisors. For The New York Times to take advantage of an elderly gentleman and use him as their foil in this story is an affront to good journalistic practices.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

foil#10000#10816#100000

Translations for foil

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • фолио, варак, рапира, станиолBulgarian
  • floret, full, paper d'aluminiCatalan, Valencian
  • fólieCzech
  • Folie, Florett, Aluminiumfolie, hintertreiben, KontrastfigurGerman
  • αλουμινόχαρτο, ματαιώνω, έλασμα, ελαφρύ ξίφος ξιφασκίαςGreek
  • lámina de metal, florete, frustrar, papel de aluminio, folioSpanish
  • فویلPersian
  • folio, floretti, kertoa, estääFinnish
  • déjouer, fleuret, feuille, alu, papier d'aluminiumFrench
  • cliwe crammanaghManx
  • डाकHindi
  • meghiúsítHungarian
  • նրբաթիթեղ, խափանել, փայլաթիթեղ, առաջն առնել, ֆոլգաArmenian
  • sventare, carta stagnola, lamina, spalla, fioretto, lamellaItalian
  • フォイル, 箔, 金属裏張り, フルーレ, ホイルJapanese
  • ფოლგაGeorgian
  • rapyra, folijaLithuanian
  • whakahēhēMāori
  • флоретMacedonian
  • folie, floret, frustreren, uitwerken, verijdelen, Aluminiumfolie, afwerenDutch
  • folia, floretPolish
  • papel-alumínio, florete, frustrar, folhaPortuguese
  • фольга, станиоль, рапира, предотвращатьRussian
  • folie, aluminiumfolie, florettSwedish
  • ทำลายThai
  • folyoTurkish

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"foil." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/foil>.

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    a small contrasting part of something
    A collation
    B preponderance
    C couvade
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