Definitions of foil [ɔɪl]

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Definition of 'foil'

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

1. (v.t.) foil
to prevent the success of; frustrate; thwart.

2.  foil
to keep (a person) from succeeding in an enterprise, plan, etc.

3. (n.) foil
Archaic. a defeat; check; repulse.

4. (n.) foil
metal in the form of very thin sheets:
aluminum foil.

5.  foil
the metallic backing applied to glass to form a mirror.

6.  foil
a thin layer of metal placed under a gem in a closed setting to improve its color or brilliancy.

7.  foil
a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast.

8.  foil
an arc or rounded space between cusps.

9.  foil
an airfoil or hydrofoil.

10. (v.t.) foil
to cover or back with foil.

11.  foil
to set off by contrast.

12. (n.) foil
a flexible four-sided rapier having a blunt point.

13.  foil
foils, the art or practice of fencing with this weapon, points being made by touching the trunk of the opponent's body with the tip of the weapon.

Etymology: (1585–95; orig. uncert.)

Definition of 'foil'

Princeton's WordNet

1. (noun) foil
a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal
"the photographic film was wrapped in foil"

2. (noun) foil, enhancer
anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities
"pretty girls like plain friends as foils"

3. (noun) hydrofoil, foil
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. (noun) foil, transparency
picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector

5. (verb) foil
a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button

6. (verb) foil
enhance by contrast
"In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background"

7. (verb) thwart, queer, spoil, scotch, foil, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilk
hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
"What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent"

8. (verb) foil
cover or back with foil
"foil mirrors"

Definition of 'foil'

Kernerman English Learner’s Dictionary

1. (noun) foil
thin sheets of metal for protecting food

Definition of 'foil'

Webster Dictionary

1. (noun) foil
failure of success when on the point of attainment; defeat; frustration; miscarriage

2. (noun) foil
a blunt weapon used in fencing, resembling a smallsword in the main, but usually lighter and having a button at the point

3. (noun) foil
the track or trail of an animal

4. (noun) foil
a leaf or very thin sheet of metal; as, brass foil; tin foil; gold foil

5. (noun) foil
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

6. (noun) foil
anything that serves by contrast of color or quality to adorn or set off another thing to advantage

7. (noun) foil
a thin coat of tin, with quicksilver, laid on the back of a looking-glass, to cause reflection

8. (noun) foil
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

9. (verb) foil
to tread under foot; to trample

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

11. (verb) foil
to blunt; to dull; to spoil; as, to foil the scent in chase

12. (verb) foil
to defile; to soil

Translation of 'foil'

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary

Sense: to defeat; to disappoint She was foiled in her attempt to become President.
Afrikaans: verydel; fnuik	Arabic: يُحْبِط، يُعَطِّل	Bulgarian: побеждавам
Brazilian: frustrar	Czech: zmařit	German: vereiteln
Danish: slå; skuffe	Greek: εμποδίζω, ματαιώνω, απογο	Spanish: frustrar
Estonian: nurjama	Farsi: شکست دادن؛ نقش بر آب کردن	Finnish: tehdä tyhjäksi
French: faireéchouer	Hebrew: לְסַכֵּל	Hindi: रोड़े अटकाना
Croatian: poraziti, spriječiti	Hungarian: meghiúsít	Indonesian: mengalahkan, menggagalkan
Icelandic: snúa á, hindra	Italian: frustrare	Japanese: 裏をかく
Korean: 실패하다	Lithuanian: (su)žlugdyti	Latvian: izjaukt (plānus u.tml.)
Malay: mengalahkan	Dutch: verijdelen	Norwegian: slå ut, forpurre, narre,
Polish: pokonać	Persian: شکست دادن؛ نقش بر آب کردن	Pashto: ماته ورکول، مایوسه کول
Portuguese: frustrar	Romanian: aîmpiedica	Russian: срывать планы
Slovak: zmariť	Slovenian: poraziti	Serbian: poraziti
Swedish: besegra, kullkasta	Thai: ขัดขวาง	Turkish: engellemek, alıkoymak
Taiwanese: 挫敗	Ukrainian: розладнувати, порушувати	Urdu: ناکام کرنا
Vietnamese: làm thất bại (một âm mưu,	Chinese: 挫败
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