foyer

[ foi-er, foi-ey; French fwa-yey ]

noun

, plural foy·ers [foi, -erz, -eyz, fw, a, -, yey].

1. the lobby of a theater, hotel, or apartment house.
2. a vestibule or entrance hall in a house or apartment.

foyer

/ ˈfɔɪeɪ; ˈfɔɪə /

noun

1. a hall, lobby, or anteroom, used for reception and as a meeting place, as in a hotel, theatre, cinema, etc
2. (in Britain) a centre providing accommodation and employment training, etc. for homeless young people

Word History and Origins

Origin of foyer¹

1855–60; < French: fireplace, hearth (originally a room to which theater audiences went for warmth between the acts) < Gallo-Latin *focārium, equivalent to Latin foc ( us ) hearth ( focus ) + -ārium -arium

Word History and Origins

Origin of foyer¹

C19: from French: fireplace, from Medieval Latin focārius , from Latin focus fire

Example Sentences

As well as those who died, hundreds of people were injured in the attack when Salman Abedi detonated a homemade rucksack-bomb in the foyer of the venue as thousands of people left an Ariana Grande concert.

From BBC

During our visit there’s broken glass inside the foyer.

From BBC

Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds more injured when Salman Abedi detonated a homemade rucksack-bomb in the foyer of the venue as thousands of people left an Ariana Grande concert.

From BBC

The Jacobs entrance puts you directly in an actual concert hall foyer.

From Los Angeles Times

As the home began to fill up with strangers, the family dog started anxiously doing laps around the foyer.

From Slate

Related Words

• lobby
• vestibule