foreign

[ fawr-in, for- ]

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

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈforeignness, noun
• ˈforeignly, adverb

Other Words From

• foreign·ly adverb
• foreign·ness noun
• non·foreign adjective
• non·foreign·ness noun
• pro·foreign adjective
• quasi-foreign adjective
• un·foreign adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreign¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreign¹

C13: from Old French forain , from Vulgar Latin forānus (unattested) situated on the outside, from Latin foris outside

Example Sentences

“I think people should be concerned, in the military and out of it, about the politicization of the military, and the attempt to use it to do the president’s personal will,” said Benjamin Friedman, policy director of the Washington-based think tank Defense Priorities, which advocates for restraint in U.S. foreign policy.

From Los Angeles Times

He added that foreign leaders had contacted him “wanting to talk to President Trump.”

From Los Angeles Times

Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq, has long been critical of foreign policy establishment.

From Salon

Her deeply skeptical views of most U.S. foreign policy, including support for Ukraine, sympathy for dictators like Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad in Syria and embrace of various conspiracy theories has earned her many critics who say that she would not pass muster in a Senate confirmation process.

From Salon

UK Labour Labour Foreign Secretary David Lammy previously called Trump a "neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath", in 2018 when he was a backbench MP, but has dismissed those comments as "old news", insisting he would be able to find "common ground" with the president-elect.

From BBC

Related Words

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