to foil
1
6.3
- verb
- /fɔɪl/
- Literature
:
realzar
- By reclaiming the suppressed female voice, I will show how the female character transgresses and foils patriarchal norms, despite the controlling male narrator.
Examples
-
The bright colors of the flowers foil the dullness of the landscape, creating a vibrant scene.
-
Despite the pilgrims' American dream to escape from history, the text seems to foil their wishes.
Academic text (1997) -
Not that we do the same thing necessarily, but we coincide on the idea of wanting to foil expectations, each of us in our disciplines, wanting to do things from a different angle.
Academic text (2014) -
Obama has trained his whole life not to be angry, so as to deflect and foil the raw racism of Hannity et al.
Blog text (7) -
Many fans immediately pegged the hand as belonging to Paige McCullers, since she foiled.
Blog text (5) -
But the plump arms, the brutally cut steel-wool hair, and the librarian's glasses foiled us every time.
Fiction book (1994) -
The end of the no-holds-barred era has taken with it the idea that no price is too dear to pay lawyers to consummate—or foil—a deal.
Academic text (1998) -
The artist used shadows to foil the light in her painting, making the bright areas stand out even more.
-
By dressing in classic styles, he hoped to foil the trendiness of his friends' modern outfits.
Synonyms
86
2.7
To compare two or more things to show how they are different
7
3.7
To make something stand out against its background
1
7.9
To put one thing next to another to show contrast
Antonyms
Compounds
How Contrasting
Surface Forms
Etymology
Foil as a verb meaning 'to make something stand out by being different' follows the same image: placing one thing next to another can 'set off' the first, just as a background foil makes colours pop, so to foil something is to highlight it by contrast.