| Noun | 1. | foil - a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal; "the photographic film was wrapped in foil"chaff - foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure | |
| 2. | foil - anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities; "pretty girls like plain friends as foils"attention - a general interest that leads people to want to know more; "She was the center of attention" | |
| 3. | foil - 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; "the fins of a fish act as hydrofoils"device - an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose; "the device is small enough to wear on your wrist"; "a device intended to conserve water" | |
| 4. | foil - picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projectorikon, picture, icon, image - a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface; "they showed us the pictures of their wedding"; "a movie is a series of images projected so rapidly that the eye integrates them" | |
| 5. | foil - a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button | |
| Verb | 1. | foil - enhance by contrast; "In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background"counterpoint, contrast - to show differences when compared; be different; "the students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities" | |
| 2. | foil - hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent"disappoint, let down - fail to meet the hopes or expectations of; "Her boyfriend let her down when he did not propose marriage" dash - destroy or break; "dashed ambitions and hopes" short-circuit - hamper the progress of; impede; "short-circuit warm feelings" ruin - destroy or cause to fail; "This behavior will ruin your chances of winning the election" | |
| 3. | foil - cover or back with foil; "foil mirrors"cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers" | |