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

While it's possible that an exporter in a foreign country compensates the importer for these taxes — such as via rebates or lower prices — there's no requirement to do so.

From Salon

He has also excluded the State Department and its officials from his calls with foreign leaders.

From Salon

Earlier, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba defended the US's position, saying it is within international law, but adds there are "moral ramifications for human rights defenders, and I totally get them".

From BBC

The Israeli military said it did not comment on foreign reports.

From BBC

Figures show there were 629 foreign nationals in Scotland's jails as of the beginning of October – about 7.6% of the prison population.

From BBC

Related Words

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