foil

noun

/fɔɪl/

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(also tinfoil)
(British English also silver foil)
[uncountable] metal made into very thin sheets that is used for covering or wrapping things, especially food
- (British English) aluminium foil
- (North American English) aluminum foil
- Cover the fish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- I wrapped the sandwiches in kitchen foil.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- aluminium
- aluminum
- gold
- …
… of foil
- piece
- sheet
- roll
- …
verb + foil
- cover something with
- wrap something in
See full entry
[uncountable] paper that is covered in very thin sheets of metal
- The chocolates are individually wrapped in gold foil.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- aluminium
- aluminum
- gold
- …
… of foil
- piece
- sheet
- roll
- …
verb + foil
- cover something with
- wrap something in
See full entry
[countable] foil (for somebody/something) a person or thing that contrasts with, and therefore emphasizes, the qualities of another person or thing
- The pale walls provide a perfect foil for the furniture.
- His mellow guitar technique is the ideal foil for her soaring voice.
Extra Examples
- She has used mosses as a foil for the bright red flowers in the bed.
- The couple provided the perfect foil for one another.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- good
- ideal
- perfect
- …
verb + foil
- be
- provide
preposition
- as a foil
- foil for
- foil to
- …
See full entry
enlarge image
[countable] a long thin light sword used in the sport of fencingTopics Sports: other sportsc2

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 Middle English: via Old French from Latin folium ‘leaf’. noun sense 4 late 16th cent.: of unknown origin.

foil

verb

/fɔɪl/

[often passive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they foil	/fɔɪl/ /fɔɪl/
he / she / it foils	/fɔɪlz/ /fɔɪlz/
past simple foiled	/fɔɪld/ /fɔɪld/
past participle foiled	/fɔɪld/ /fɔɪld/
-ing form foiling	/ˈfɔɪlɪŋ/ /ˈfɔɪlɪŋ/

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to stop something from happening, especially something illegal; to prevent somebody from doing something synonym thwart
- foil something to foil a plan/crime/plot
- Customs officials foiled an attempt to smuggle the paintings out of the country.
- foil somebody (in something) They were foiled in their attempt to smuggle the paintings.
Extra Examples
- The burglary was foiled by a passer-by who called the police.
- The registration plates are designed to foil police speed traps.
Word Originverb Middle English (in the sense ‘trample down’): perhaps from Old French fouler ‘to full cloth, trample’, based on Latin fullo ‘fuller’.