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foreign

adj. · n.
US //ˈfɑɹən// UK //fˈɒɹən// for·eign
  1. 1 from another country (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    from a country that is not your own.

    originating from, characteristic of, or belonging to a nation other than one's own.

    Example

    I love trying foreign food when I travel to new places.

    Example

    The government is implementing new policies to attract foreign investment into the renewable energy sector.
    Pitfall
    He is a foreign in this country.
    He is a foreigner in this country.

    Use 'foreign' as an adjective to describe things; use 'foreigner' as a noun to describe a person.

  2. 2 strange or unfamiliar (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    feeling strange, unusual, or not natural to a person or situation.

    not characteristic of or naturally belonging to a particular person, system, or environment.

    Example

    The idea of working in a quiet office was foreign to him after years of construction work.

    Example

    The concept of individual land ownership was entirely foreign to the indigenous population's communal way of life.

    Usage

    Often used with the preposition 'to'.
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  1. 3 medical/biological (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

    describes something that does not belong inside a body or a system.

    referring to a substance or object that is not native to a biological organism or mechanical system.

    Example

    The doctor had to remove a foreign object from the child's ear.

    Example

    The immune system is designed to identify and attack foreign proteins that enter the bloodstream.
  2. 4 legal jurisdiction (adj.)
    C1 Advanced American English Technical Law

    coming from a different state or province, even in the same country.

    originating from a different legal jurisdiction, such as a different state within a federal union.

    Example

    The company was considered a foreign corporation because it was based in Delaware.

    Example

    The court had to determine whether it had authority over the foreign entity under the state's long-arm statute.

    Usage

    Commonly used in US law to describe corporations registered in a different state.
    • out of state
  3. 5 imported car (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Informal Slang

    a car that was made in another country.

    a motor vehicle produced by a manufacturer based in a different country.

    Example

    He spent all his savings on a shiny new foreign.

    Example

    The local car meet was dominated by high-end foreigns and modified imports.
Origin

From Middle English foreyn, forein, from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin *forānus (“outsider, outlander”), from Latin forās (“outside, outdoors”) or forīs (“outside, outdoors”). Displaced native Old English elþēodiġ (“foreign”) and now-dialectal English fremd, from Old English fremde (“strange, foreign”). The silent -g- added perhaps by analogy with reign (compare also sovereign which was similarly altered).

Word family

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