foreign

foreign — adjective

1. coming from a different country than the one where you live; involving people, p

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

coming from a different country than the one where you live; involving people, places, or things from outside your own country

Example

Ari spent a year studying at a foreign university in Japan.

collocation: foreign university

The hotel employs many foreign workers from several Asian countries.

collocation: foreign workers

Common collocations
  • foreign country
  • foreign language
  • foreign student
  • foreign worker
  • foreign visitor
  • foreign currency
  • foreign aid
  • foreign trade
  • foreign market
Synonyms
  • overseas

    Specifically means 'across the sea'; narrower than foreign. Used for travel, trade, and relations across oceans.

  • international

    Emphasises involvement of multiple nations rather than just 'not your own'. Broader and more neutral.

  • alien

    Stronger, slightly literary or legal tone; can sound dramatic in everyday speech.

Antonyms
  • domestic

    Refers to things within your own country.

  • local

    Emphasises the immediate area or community rather than the nation as a whole.

Common Mistakes

I am learning a overseas language.
I am learning a foreign language.
The word 'overseas' specifically refers to places across the sea, while 'foreign' is broader and can refer to any other country.

2. not familiar, normal, or typical for a particular person; feeling strange becaus

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

not familiar, normal, or typical for a particular person; feeling strange because it is outside what you usually experience or understand

Example

The idea of eating insects for breakfast was completely foreign to Jude.

pattern: foreign to [someone] with intensifier 'completely'

After years of living alone, sharing a bedroom felt foreign to Paloma.

pattern: feel foreign to [someone]

Common collocations
  • foreign to someone
  • completely foreign
  • totally foreign
  • entirely foreign
  • foreign concept
  • foreign idea
Synonyms
  • strange

    More general and less formal than foreign in this sense. Can describe anything unusual.

  • unfamiliar

    Focuses on lack of prior knowledge or experience; softer and more neutral than foreign.

  • alien

    Stronger connotation of being completely different or unwelcome; can sound dramatic.

  • unknown

    Suggests no knowledge at all rather than mere difference; more factual.

Antonyms
  • familiar

    Well-known through experience; the direct opposite in this sense.

  • natural

    Feels normal and expected; contrasts with the strangeness of 'foreign'.

Grammar Patterns

foreign to [someone]

Usage Note

This sense often appears in the pattern 'foreign to + person/group'. Intensifiers such as 'completely', 'totally', and 'entirely' are commonly used to strengthen the sense of strangeness. Distinguished from sense 1 by its focus on unfamiliarity rather than nationality.

Common Mistakes

The custom was foreign for me.
The custom was foreign to me.
The correct preposition is 'to', not 'for'.

3. describes an object or material that is present in something where it does not n

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes an object or material that is present in something where it does not naturally belong, usually because it got in by accident

Example

The doctor removed a foreign object from the child's ear.

fixed phrase: foreign object

X-rays showed a small foreign body lodged in the patient's lung.

fixed phrase: foreign body

Common collocations
  • foreign object
  • foreign body
  • foreign particle
  • foreign substance
  • foreign material
Synonyms
  • extraneous

    Formal term; emphasises that something is not part of the essential material.

  • external

    Simply means 'coming from the outside'; less specific about not belonging.

  • alien

    Used in science fiction and biology; more dramatic than 'foreign' in everyday speech.

Usage Note

Common in medical and technical contexts. The fixed phrases 'foreign object' and 'foreign body' are the most frequent uses of this sense. In medical writing, 'foreign body' is a standard term for any object originating outside the body.

4. relating to the relationships, communication, and business between different cou

4.adjectiveB1
Definition

relating to the relationships, communication, and business between different countries, especially when involving government or official matters

Example

The minister discussed foreign policy with leaders from neighbouring countries.

collocation: foreign policy

Andrew found a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul.

fixed phrase: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Common collocations
  • foreign policy
  • foreign affairs
  • foreign minister
  • foreign relations
  • foreign trade
  • foreign investment
  • Foreign Secretary
  • foreign correspondent
  • foreign office
Synonyms
  • international

    Broader than foreign in this sense; includes multilateral relations, not just between two countries.

  • diplomatic

    Specifically relates to formal negotiations and embassy-level relations between nations.

  • external

    Used in formal contexts such as 'external affairs'; slightly more detached and bureaucratic.

Antonyms
  • domestic

    Relating to affairs within one's own country, the opposite of international dealings.

  • internal

    Emphasises matters within a country's own borders rather than across them.

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used in set noun phrases such as 'foreign policy', 'foreign affairs', 'foreign minister', and 'foreign relations'. It appears frequently in news reports and formal political discussions. Unlike sense 1, it describes the field or domain of international activity rather than simply things from another country.

Common Mistakes

He is a foreign minister of the country next door.' (ambiguous — could mean a religious leader from abroad)
He is the Minister of Foreign Affairs / the Foreign Minister of the neighbouring country.
'Foreign Minister' is a government title and should be capitalised.

Word family

  • foreigner
    nounB1
  • foreignness
    nounC1
  • foreign-born
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four words all relate to 'other countries' but differ in scope and tone. Foreign is the broadest and most neutral — it simply means 'not of your own country' and covers everything from foreign languages to foreign policy. Overseas specifically implies a physical distance across an ocean or sea; it is common in business and travel but less natural for neighbouring countries. International emphasises the relationship between two or more nations rather than just 'not your own' — a trade deal between Japan and Korea is international, but a visitor from Korea to Japan is a foreign visitor, not an 'international visitor'. Alien carries a stronger, slightly literary or legal tone; you might use it in formal immigration contexts ('alien resident') or in sci-fi, but in everyday conversation it sounds dramatic for most uses. For example: 'Ari studied at a foreign university' (neutral, natural), 'Ari studied at an overseas university' (implies crossing an ocean), 'Ari studied at an international university' (suggests a school with students from many nations — a different meaning).

foreign ↗overseas ↗international ↗alien ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • foreign to [someone]
  • foreign policy
  • foreign affairs
  • foreign object
  • foreign body

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'foreign' entered English in the 13th century from Old French 'forain', meaning 'outside, external, from abroad'. The Old French word came from Late Latin 'foranus', meaning 'situated outside', which itself came from Latin 'foras', meaning 'outside, out of doors'. The modern spelling was influenced by later Latin 'foreignus'. The sense of 'strange, unfamiliar' (sense 2) developed in Middle English as the idea of 'outside one's experience' grew from the original geographical meaning.