as in frustrated
to prevent from achieving a goal
in popular fiction the hero will always foil the villain's plans
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Recent Examples of foiled
My plan got foiled when Ewers was promoted to starter for the final three games.
—
Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Of course, Swift and her team were forced to cancel three nights in the city after a terrorist plot was foiled.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2025
Kate’s dreams of being a hotshot green architect, foiled by her handywoman era, nearly takes her to Boston.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
The first of those moments was foiled by a game-tying Miguel Rojas home run (his first hit in a calendar month) with one out in the top of the ninth inning.
—Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foiled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foiled
Verb
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Fans were frustrated, and a growing number were opting to stay home rather than attend key late November/December games at M&T Bank Stadium, with an AFC North title still within the Ravens’ reach.—
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But while Coogan racked up millions of views for his YouTube explainers about political figures like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, he was frustrated by the hours of prep work that went into producing a single episode.—
Verb
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But with the teams back to even strength a short time later, Kirill Kaprizov got loose in the middle of the offensive zone and made a rush to the net that was thwarted.—
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Unit 11000 of Iran’s Quds Force initiated the plot at the end of last year, and the plot was active earlier this year, but was thwarted over the summer, according to Axios.—
Verb
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This isn’t the first time injuries have hampered Norfleet.—
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All of these issues combined have left Target with a workforce that has grown faster than sales and a complex corporate structure that has hampered decision-making and created needless red tape.—
Verb
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At a vigil for the two on Sunday night, friends and family were baffled by the killing, the Allentown Morning Call reported.—
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Scientists are also baffled by how the planet could have formed at all.—
Verb
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The first turned a fourth-quarter fumble into a 59-yard score when Achane burst through a tired, and seemingly defeated Buffalo defensive front and outsprinted the Bills’ entire secondary to the end zone.—
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In nonplayoff action, Ben Chen rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns as Westford Academy defeated Newton South, 33-13.—
Cite this Entry
“Foiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foiled. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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