English noun: foil | |||
1. | foil (artifact) a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal | ||
Samples | The photographic film was wrapped in foil. | ||
Broader (hypernym) | sheet metal | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | aluminium foil, aluminum foil, chaff, gold foil, tin foil, tin foil, tinfoil | ||
2. | foil (cognition) anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities | ||
Samples | Pretty girls like plain friends as foils. | ||
Synonyms | enhancer | ||
Broader (hypernym) | attention | ||
3. | foil (artifact) a device consisting of a flat or curved piece (as a metal plate) so that its surface reacts to the water it is passing through | ||
Samples | The fins of a fish act as hydrofoils. | ||
Synonyms | hydrofoil | ||
Broader (hypernym) | device | ||
4. | foil (artifact) picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector | ||
Synonyms | transparency | ||
Broader (hypernym) | icon, ikon, image, picture | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | lantern slide, overhead, slide, viewgraph | ||
5. | foil (artifact) a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button | ||
Broader (hypernym) | fencing sword | ||
Domain category | fencing | ||
English verb: foil | |||
1. | foil (stative) enhance by contrast | ||
Samples | In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background. | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | contrast, counterpoint | ||
2. | foil (social) hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of | ||
Samples | What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge. Foil your opponent. | ||
Synonyms | baffle, bilk, cross, frustrate, queer, scotch, spoil, thwart | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | forbid, foreclose, forestall, preclude, prevent | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | dash, disappoint, let down, ruin, short-circuit | ||
3. | foil (contact) cover or back with foil | ||
Samples | Foil mirrors. | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | cover | ||