Basic+ Word of the Day: foreign

foreign (adjective)

Travel to foreign countries can be exciting.

Foreign means ‘coming from another country.’

• The foreign exchange students were not familiar with local customs.
• Mark likes to drive foreign cars.

Foreign also means ‘relating to contact with other countries.’

• Foreign trade deficit was the topic of the economics conference.
• Learning a foreign language is good for your brain.
• Maria has a foreign accent.

Foreign can also mean ‘not belonging to the place where something is found.’

• There is a foreign object in my eye.

Common uses

foreign affairs: governmental policy for dealing with other countries. Example: “That country has a protectionist foreign affairs policy.”

Related words

foreigner: a person from a foreign country. Example: “When I lived in Paris, I understood how foreigners must feel in my country.”

In pop culture

Here is a montage of 10 films that won the Oscar’s Best Foreign Language Film award.

There are other meanings of foreign.