foil
Plural: foils
Noun
- a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal
- "the photographic film was wrapped in foil"
- anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities
- "pretty girls like plain friends as foils"
- 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"
- picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector
- a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button
- A very thin sheet of metal.
- Thin aluminium/aluminum (or, formerly, tin) used for wrapping food.
- A thin layer of metal put between a jewel and its setting to make it seem more brilliant.
- In literature, theatre/theater, etc., a character who helps emphasize the traits of the main character and who usually acts as an opponent or antagonist, but can also serve as the sidekick of the protagonist.
- Anything that acts by contrast to emphasise the characteristics of something.
- A very thin sword with a blunted (or foiled) tip
- A thin, transparent plastic material on which marks are made and projected for the purposes of presentation. See transparency.
- A premium trading card with a glossy finish.
- A stylized flower or leaf.
- Clipping of hydrofoil.
- Clipping of aerofoil/airfoil.
- Failure when on the point of attainment; defeat; frustration; miscarriage.
- One of the incorrect answers presented in a multiple-choice test.
- The track of an animal.
- A small arc in the tracery of a window, etc.
Verb
Verb Forms: foiled, foiling, foils
- To prevent someone from succeeding in an enterprise; to frustrate.
- enhance by contrast
- "In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background"
- hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
- "foil your opponent"
- cover or back with foil
- "foil mirrors"
- To cover or wrap with foil.
- Clipping of hydrofoil.
- To prevent (something) from being accomplished.
- To prevent (someone) from accomplishing something.
- To blunt; to dull; to spoil.
- To tread underfoot; to trample.
- To expand a product of two or more algebraic expressions, typically binomials.
- To defile; to soil.
Examples
- He managed to foil his opponent’s attempt at a bingo by blocking the triple-word score.
- I was foiled by my superior
- They foiled my plans.
- wrap the sandwich up in foil
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English foyle, from Middle French fueille, from Old French fueille (“plant leaf”), from Late Latin folia, the plural of folium, mistaken as a singular feminine.
The literary sense is from the practice of backing a gem with metal foil to make it shine more brilliantly.
Doublet of folio and folium, distantly also with phyllo and phyllon.
Synonyms
baffle, bilk, cross, enhancer, frustrate, hydrofoil, queer, scotch, spoil, thwart, transparency, aluminium foil, put the kibosh on, scupper, silver foil, silver paper, spoor, tin foil
Scrabble Score: 7
foil: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordfoil: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
foil: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary