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 bodies

   foreign matter

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

Derived Forms

• ˈforeignly, adverb
• ˈforeignness, noun

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

In the past, foreign policy differences between the parties were often at the margins.

From Washington Post

The boost in admissions is partly down to the continued enthusiasm of foreign students for studying in the United Kingdom.

From Ozy

It has taken a long time for biology and medicine to arrive at the idea that significant portions of an individual’s own body are foreign to it.

From Nautilus

The contracts can be so strict that if enforced they could prevent an employee from, for example, trading equities or foreign exchange for the rest of their careers.

From Fortune

Aside from Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League, no other major sport has a higher foreign player participation rate, say experts.

From Ozy

Cambodia, with its seemingly free press, is also a haven for foreign journalists.

From The Daily Beast

What they believe impacts economic policy, foreign policy, education policy, environmental policy, you name it.

From The Daily Beast

Huckabee is also not burdened by, or beholden to, foreign investors.

From The Daily Beast

What if there were a legal dispute between the foreign investor and his or her Egyptian partners or collaborators?

From The Daily Beast

But I had won the British Award, Best Foreign Actor, so I went.

From The Daily Beast

It is a lofty and richly-decorated pile of the fourteenth century; and tells of the labours and the wealth of a foreign land.

From Project Gutenberg

The lack of bill buyers in foreign countries who will quote as low rates on dollar as on sterling bills.

From Project Gutenberg

I found that I still felt the lure of foreign countries, and the less explored or inhabited, the better.

From Project Gutenberg

There are very few foreign journals taken or read in the Roman States.

From Project Gutenberg

Migration to distant occupations or to foreign lands was but for the adventurous few.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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