Foreign Definition & Meaning

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    • Synonyms foreign American [fawr-in, for-] / ˈfɔr ɪn, ˈfɒr- /

    adjective

    1. of, relating to, or derived from another country or nation; not native.

      foreign cars.

    2. of or relating to contact or dealings with other countries; connected with foreign affairs.

    3. external to one's own country or nation.

      a foreign country.

    4. carried on abroad, or with other countries.

      foreign trade.

      Synonyms: international

    5. belonging to or coming from another district, province, etc.

    6. located outside a specific district, province, etc.

    7. Law.

      1. of or relating to law outside of local jurisdiction.

      2. of or relating to another jurisdiction, as of another nation or state.

    8. belonging to or proceeding from other persons or things.

      a statement supported by foreign testimony.

    9. not belonging to the place or body where found.

      foreign matter in a chemical mixture.

    10. not related to or connected with the thing under consideration.

      foreign to our discussion.

    11. alien in character; irrelevant or inappropriate; remote.

      Synonyms: outside, extraneous

    12. strange or unfamiliar.

    foreign British / ˈfɒrɪn /

    adjective

    1. of, involving, located in, or coming from another country, area, people, etc

      a foreign resident

    2. dealing or concerned with another country, area, people, etc

      a foreign office

    3. not pertinent or related

      a matter foreign to the discussion

    4. not familiar; strange

    5. in an abnormal place or position

      foreign matter

      foreign bodies

    6. law outside the jurisdiction of a particular state; alien

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    Other Word Forms

    • foreignly adverb
    • foreignness noun
    • nonforeign adjective
    • nonforeignness noun
    • proforeign adjective
    • quasi-foreign adjective
    • unforeign adjective

    Etymology

    Origin of foreign

    First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English forein, from Old French forain, forein, from unattested Vulgar Latin forānus, derivative of Latin forās “outside”

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    Yet, as long as the AI craze continues, it will keep sucking in foreign money.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    Brigitte was now the highest paid actress in France, with some suggesting that she was more valuable in terms of foreign trade than the country's car industry.

    From BBC

    The Indian foreign ministry had earlier said it rejects "false narratives" about New Delhi's involvement in Hadi's killing.

    From Barron's

    The UK is to impose visa restrictions against people arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo after its government failed to agree to measures allowing the return of illegal migrants and foreign national offenders.

    From BBC

    Argentina’s central bank holds foreign currency reserves to pay debt, defend the peso and cover imports, but they have been drained by years of currency controls and financial crises.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    Related Words

    • alien
    • different
    • external
    • offshore
    • overseas
    • unfamiliar

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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