| foil 1 (foil) tr.v. foiled, foil·ing, foils 1. To prevent from being successful; thwart. 2. To obscure or confuse (a trail or scent) so as to evade pursuers. n. Archaic 1. A repulse; a setback. 2. The trail or scent of an animal. [Middle English foilen, to trample, defile, variant of filen, to defile; see file3.] |
| foil 2 (foil) n. 1. A thin, flexible leaf or sheet of metal: aluminum foil. 2. A thin layer of polished metal placed under a displayed gem to lend it brilliance. 3. One that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another: "I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a foil to me" (Charlotte Brontë). 4. The reflective metal coating on the back of a glass mirror. 5. Architecture A curvilinear, often lobelike figure or space formed between the cusps of intersecting arcs, found especially in Gothic tracery and Moorish ornament. 6. a. An airfoil. b. Nautical A hydrofoil. tr.v. foiled, foil·ing, foils 1. To cover or back with foil. 2. To set off by contrast. [Middle English, from Old French foille, from Latin folia, pl. of folium, leaf; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.] |
| foil 3 (foil) n. 1. A fencing sword having a usually circular guard and a thin, flexible four-sided blade with a button on the tip to prevent injury. 2. The art or sport of fencing with such a sword. Often used in the plural: a contest at foils. [Origin unknown.] |
foil 1
Verb
to baffle or frustrate (a person or an attempt) [Middle English foilen to trample]
foil 2
Noun
1. metal in the form of very thin sheets
2. a person or thing setting off another thing to advantage: mint sauce is an excellent foil to lamb [Latin folia leaves]
foil 3
Noun
a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button, used in fencing [origin unknown]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | foil - a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal; "the photographic film was wrapped in foil" chaff - foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure gold foil - foil made of gold sheet metal - sheet of metal formed into a thin plate |
| 2. | foil - anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities; "pretty girls like plain friends as foils" attention - a general interest that leads people to want to know more; "She was the center of attention" | |
| 3. |  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"device - an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose; "the device is small enough to wear on your wrist"; "a device intended to conserve water" | |
| 4. |  foil - picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projectorikon, picture, icon, image - a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface; "they showed us the pictures of their wedding"; "a movie is a series of images projected so rapidly that the eye integrates them" lantern slide, slide - a transparency mounted in a frame; viewed with a slide projector | |
| 5. | foil - a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button fencing - the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils or epees or sabres to score points under a set of rules) fencing sword - a sword used in the sport of fencing | |
| Verb | 1. | foil - enhance by contrast; "In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background" counterpoint, contrast - to show differences when compared; be different; "the students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities" |
| 2. | foil - hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent" disappoint, let down - fail to meet the hopes or expectations of; "Her boyfriend let her down when he did not propose marriage" foreclose, forestall, preclude, prevent, forbid - keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project" dash - destroy or break; "dashed ambitions and hopes" short-circuit - hamper the progress of; impede; "short-circuit warm feelings" ruin - destroy or cause to fail; "This behavior will ruin your chances of winning the election" | |
| 3. | foil - cover or back with foil; "foil mirrors" cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers" |
foil 1
verb thwart, stop, check, defeat, disappoint, counter, frustrate, hamper, baffle, elude, balk, circumvent, outwit, nullify, checkmate, nip in the bud, put a spoke in (someone's) wheel Brit.
foil 2
Translations
foil [fɔɪl] vt → déjouer, contrecarrer
(Fencing) → fleuret m;
to act as a foil to (fig) → servir de repoussoir or de faire-valoir à
foil [fɔɪl] vt → vereiteln
n → Folie f;
(complement) → Kontrast m;
(Fencing) → Florett nt;
to act as a foil to → einen Kontrast darstellen zu
v foil [foil]
to defeat; to disappoint She was foiled in her attempt to become President. verydel; fnuik يُحْبِط، يُعَطِّل побеждавам zmařit slå; skuffe vereiteln εμποδίζω, ματαιώνω, απογοητεύω frustrar nurjama شکست دادن؛ نقش بر آب کردن tehdä tyhjäksi faire échouer לְסַכֵּל रोड़े अटकाना poraziti, spriječiti meghiúsít mengalahkan, menggagalkan snúa á, hindra frustrare 裏をかく 좌절시키다 (su)žlugdyti izjaukt (plānus u.tml.) mengalahkan verijdelen slå ut, forpurre, narre, skuffe pokonać frustrar a împiedica срывать планы zmariť poraziti poraziti besegra, kullkasta ขัดขวาง engellemek, alıkoymak 挫敗 розладнувати, порушувати чиїсь плани ناکام کرنا làm thất bại (một âm mưu, một kế hoạch...) 挫败
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|