Meaning of the word foreigner

  • Top Definitions
  • Synonyms
  • Quiz
  • Related Content
  • About This Word
  • Examples
  • British

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

[ fawr—uh-ner, for— ]

/ ˈfɔr ə nər, ˈfɒr- /

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

noun

a person not native to or naturalized in the country or jurisdiction under consideration; alien.

a person from outside one’s community.

a thing produced in or brought from a foreign country.

Nautical. a foreign vessel.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Which sentence is correct?

Origin of foreigner

First recorded in 1375–1425, foreigner is from the late Middle English word foreiner. See foreign, -er1

synonym study for foreigner

Words nearby foreigner

foreign affairs, foreign aid, foreign bill, foreign-born, foreign correspondent, foreigner, foreign exchange, foreign-flag, foreignism, foreign legion, foreign minister

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

ABOUT THIS WORD

What is a foreigner?

A foreigner is a person from a different country than the one being referred to, as in The country was welcoming to foreigners from neighboring countries.

Foreigner is a noun form of the adjective foreign, which is used to describe someone or something that is from another place, particularly another country, as in foreign country and foreign language.

Foreigner can be used more generally to mean a person from outside someone’s community or group.

The word foreigner is similar to words like stranger and outsider, referring to a person who is from outside a community. However, foreigner implies that a person has different customs and culture or speaks a different language. Sometimes, foreigner is used negatively to harshly judge or discriminate against a person’s culture, customs, language, or country. It implies that the person or people being discussed are not acceptable in some way—that they don’t belong where they are. Although foreigner can be used in a neutral way, it can also be used in a way that’s very offensive.

Words like immigrant, refugee, and tourist more specifically indicate a person’s status.

Example: The secluded island nation was known for being distrustful of foreigners and rarely allowed visitors from other countries.

Where does foreigner come from?

The first records of the term foreigner come from around the 1370s. Its base word, foreign, ultimately comes from the Latin forus, meaning “out of doors.” The first records of foreign meaning “from another place” come from around the 1370s.

Foreigner can be used in a neutral way, such as in the discussion of international topics like economics, travel, and tourism. However, its association with racism and xenophobia has motivated many people to avoid its use altogether in favor of other more neutral and direct terms.

Did you know … ?

How is foreigner used in real life?

The word foreigner can be used neutrally to describe people from other countries. However, it is sometimes used in very offensive ways to discriminate against people from other places or people who simply seem different in some way.

One of the great things about this World Cup is seeing ordinary Brazilians meeting foreigners for the first time. Everyone wins.

— Andrew Downie (@adowniebrazil) June 16, 2014

Today I announced visa restrictions on PRC officials involved in restricting foreigners’ access to Tibet. We will continue to seek reciprocity in our relationship.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 7, 2020

Can foreigners rent apartments in netherlands? Is it a tricky process?

— Daniel – himr (@rabbitlol666) September 29, 2020

Words related to foreigner

How to use foreigner in a sentence

  • First, foreigners bring it, and eventually the Vietnamese join the party.

  • In one viral post, a user in China noted that he only received a refund after posing as a foreigner.

  • The government placed strict limits on the ability of the FBI and other agencies to infiltrate and track such organizations, with new laws and rules establishing more rigorous requirements for surveillance on Americans than foreigners.

  • Photos from inside the warehouses showed that only a few participants, who included foreigners, wore masks and that social distancing was virtually impossible.

  • In response, a number of nations are trying to make sure they’re the first choice for those expat-minded foreigners.

  • The president of Mongolia is one foreigner who may not be invited back to Kim Il Sung University anytime soon.

  • Generally, the foreigner is a class of person often aligned with other vulnerable populations like widows and orphans.

  • He was the only foreigner in such a powerful government position in the Congo.

  • Yeonmi was forbidden from using computers in the town center because she was a foreigner.

  • A foreigner such as Bartholdi viewed the abolition of slavery as Liberty achieved in the United States.

  • Not, indeed, until the foreigner‘s foot was on the step preparatory to mounting did Garnache speak.

  • Ye told me that he only kepit twa sairvents: a cook, hoosekeper, who lived awe’, an’ a man—a foreigner?

  • A foreigner with an imperfect knowledge of English naturally prefers a doctor to whom he can speak in his own tongue.

  • «You certainly have been very successful over here, Doctor,» observed the foreigner, whose English had been acquired in America.

  • Ill wager that greasy foreigner has got a wife and ten childrenand neglects them.

British Dictionary definitions for foreigner

noun

a person from a foreign country; alien

an outsider or interloper

something from a foreign country, such as a ship or product

Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Источник
  • Afrikaans: buitelander
  • Albanian: huaj (sq) m
  • Arabic: أَجْنَبِيّ‎ m (ʔajnabiyy), أَجْنَبِيَّة‎ f (ʔajnabiyya)
    Egyptian Arabic: أجنبي‎ m (agnabi), أجنبية‎ f (agnabeya)
    Hijazi Arabic: أجنبي‎ m (ʾajnabi), أجْنَبِيَّة‎ f (ʾajnabiyya)
  • Armenian: օտարերկրացի (hy) (ōtarerkracʿi), արտասահմանցի (artasahmancʿi), օտարազգի (hy) (ōtarazgi)
  • Aromanian: xen m, striin m
  • Azerbaijani: xarici (az), əcnəbi (az)
  • Basque: atzerritar, kanpotar
  • Belarusian: іншазе́мец m (inšazjémjec), іншазе́мка f (inšazjémka), чужазе́мец m (čužazjémjec), чужазе́мка f (čužazjémka), заме́жнік m (zamjéžnik), заме́жніца f (zamjéžnica)
  • Bengali: বিদেশি (bn) (bideśi), আজনবি (bn) (ajnôbi)
  • Bulgarian: чуждене́ц (bg) m (čuždenéc), чужденка́ f (čuždenká)
  • Burmese: တတိုင်းတပြည်သား (ta.tuing:ta.pranysa:), နိုင်ငံခြားသား (my) (nuingngamhkra:sa:)
  • Catalan: foraster (ca) m, forastera (ca) f; estranger (ca) m, estrangera (ca) f
  • Chinese:
    Cantonese: 外國人／外国人 (ngoi6 gwok3 jan4), 老外 (lou5 ngoi6-2) (colloquial)
    Dungan: вэгуйжын (veguyřɨn)
    Mandarin: 外國人／外国人 (zh) (wàiguórén), 外人 (zh) (wàirén), 老外 (zh) (lǎowài) (colloquial)
    Min Nan: 外國人／外国人 (gōa-kok-lâng), 外國儂／外国侬 (gōa-kok-lâng)
  • Czech: cizinec (cs) m, cizinka f
  • Danish: udlænding (da) c
  • Dutch: buitenlander (nl) m, buitenlandse (nl) f, vreemdeling (nl) m, vreemdelinge f, uitlander m, uitlandse f
  • Esperanto: fremdulo, fremdlandulo, eksterlandano
  • Estonian: välismaalane
  • Faroese: útlendingur m
  • Finnish: ulkomaalainen (fi)
  • French: étranger (fr) m, étrangère (fr) f
  • Galician: estranxeiro (gl) m, estranxeira f, forasteiro (gl) m, forasteira f
  • Georgian: უცხოელი (ucxoeli)
  • German: Ausländer (de) m, Ausländerin (de) f
  • Greek: ξένος (el) m (xénos), ξένη (el) f (xéni), αλλοδαπός (el) m (allodapós), αλλοδαπή (el) f (allodapí)
    Ancient: ξένος m (xénos), ξένη f (xénē)
  • Guaraní: pytagua
  • Gujarati: વિદેશી (videśī)
  • Hebrew: זָר‎ (he) m (zar), זָרָה‎ (he) f
  • Hindi: विदेशी (hi) m (videśī), अन्यदेशीय (hi) (anyadeśīya), परदेशी (hi) m (pardeśī), अजनबी m (ajnabī) (also stranger)
  • Hungarian: külföldi (hu), idegen (hu)
  • Icelandic: útlendingur (is) m
  • Indonesian: orang asing
  • Irish: allúrach m
  • Italian: straniero (it) m, straniera (it) f
  • Japanese: 外国人 (ja) (がいこくじん, gaikokujin), 外人 (ja) (がいじん, gaijin) (colloquial), 異国人 (いこくじん, ikokujin)
  • Jarawa: innen
  • Kazakh: шетелдік (şeteldık), шетел адамы (şetel adamy)
  • Khmer: ជនបរទេស (km) (cŭən bɑɑrĕəʼteih), បរទេស (km) (bɑɑrĕəʼteih)
  • Korean: 외국인(外國人) (ko) (oegugin), 이국인(異國人) (igugin), 외인(外人) (oein)
  • Kurdish:
    Northern Kurdish: bîyanî (ku), ecnebi (ku)
  • Kyrgyz: чет өлкөлүк (çet ölkölük)
  • Lao: ຝຣັ່ງ (fa rang), ແຂກ (lo) (khǣk), ແຂກກູລາ (khǣk kū lā), ຄົນນອກ (khon nǭk)
  • Latin: barbarus (la) m, peregrīnus m, extraneus m, alienus (la)
  • Latvian: ārzemnieks m, ārzemniece f
  • Lithuanian: užsienietis m, užsienietė f, svetimšalis m, kitakilmis m
  • Macedonian: странец m (stranec), странкиња f (strankinja), туѓинец m (tuǵinec), туѓинка f (tuǵinka)
  • Malay: orang asing
  • Malayalam: വിദേശി (ml) (vidēśi)
  • Maltese: għarib m, għariba f, barrani m, barranija f
  • Maori: tautangata
  • Middle English: foreyn, foreyner
  • Mongolian:
    Cyrillic: гадаадын хүн (gadaadyn xün), гаднын хүн (mn) (gadnyn xün)
  • Navajo: anaʼí, déʼéyóní
  • Norwegian:
    Bokmål: utlending m
    Nynorsk: utlending (nn) m
  • Occitan: estrangièr (oc), forastièr (oc)
  • Old English: elþēodiġ m, elþēodgu f
  • Ottoman Turkish: یابانجی‎ (yabancı)
  • Pashto: اجنبي‎ (ps) m or f (aǰnabí), خارج‎ (ps) m (xāréǰ)
  • Persian: اجنبی‎ (fa) (ajnabi), خارجی‎ (fa) (xâreji), بیگانه‎ (fa) (bigâne)
  • Polish: cudzoziemiec (pl) m, cudzoziemka (pl) f, obcokrajowiec (pl)
  • Portuguese: estrangeiro (pt) m, estrangeira (pt) f
  • Romanian: străin (ro) m, străină (ro) f
  • Russian: иностра́нец (ru) m (inostránec), иностра́нка (ru) f (inostránka), чужезе́мец (ru) m (čužezémec), чужезе́мка (ru) f (čužezémka), инозе́мец (ru) m (inozémec), инозе́мка (ru) f (inozémka), чужестра́нец (ru) m (čužestránec), чужестра́нка (ru) f (čužestránka)
  • Scots: fremmit fowk
  • Scottish Gaelic: coimheach m, coigreach m, Gall m, eilthireach m
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic: стра́нац m, стра̏нкиња f, туђи́нац m, ту̀ђӣнка f
    Roman: stránac (sh) m, strȁnkinja (sh) f, tuđínac (sh) m, tùđīnka (sh) f
  • Sherpa: ཕྱི་རྒྱ (phyi rgya)
  • Slovak: cudzinec m, cudzinka f
  • Slovene: tujec (sl) m, tujka f
  • Spanish: extranjero (es) m, extranjera (es) f, forastero (es) m, fuereño (es) m, foráneo (es) m, afuereño (es) m
  • Swahili: ajinabi (sw)
  • Swedish: utlänning (sv) c
  • Tajik: хориҷӣ (tg) (xorijī), аҷнабӣ (tg) (ajnabī), бегона (tg) (begona)
  • Telugu: పరదేశి (te) (paradēśi)
  • Tetum: malae
  • Thai: ฝรั่ง (th) (fà-ràng), ฮวน (th) (huuan), ต่างชาติ (th) (dtàang-châat), ต่างด้าว (th) (dtàang-dâao), คนจร
  • Tibetan: ཕྱི་རྒྱལ་གྱི་མི (phyi rgyal gyi mi)
  • Turkish: yabancı (tr), ecnebi (tr), çet elli (tr)
  • Turkmen: gemişek
  • Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎋𐎗 (nkr)
  • Ukrainian: інозе́мець m (inozémecʹ), інозе́мка f (inozémka), чужозе́мець m (čužozémecʹ), чужозе́мка f (čužozémka)
  • Urdu: پردیسی‎ m (pardēsī), اجنبی‎ (ur) m (ajnabī) (also stranger)
  • Uyghur: چەت ئەللىك‎ (chet ellik), چەتئەللىك‎ (chet’ellik), ئەجنەبىي‎ (ejnebiy)
  • Uzbek: chet ellik, ajnabiy (uz)
  • Vietnamese: người nước ngoài, người ngoại quốc
  • Volapük: (♂♀) foginänan (vo), (♂) hifoginänan, (♀) jifoginänan
  • Welsh: alltud
  • Yiddish: אויסלענדער‎ m (oyslender), אויסלענדערין‎ f (oyslenderin)
Источник

иностранец, чужеземец, чужестранец, чужой, иноземец, иностранный корабль

существительное ↓

- иностранец; чужеземец

his speech marked him for a foreigner — его речь обличала в нём иностранца 

- шутл. чужой, посторонний (человек)

I’m a foreigner in these parts — я чужой в этих краях; ≅ я нездешний 

- животное или растение, не встречающееся в данной местности и т. п.
- иностранный корабль

Мои примеры

Словосочетания

objectionable foreigner — нежелательный иностранец  
his accent argues him to be foreigner — произношение выдаёт в нем иностранца  
his accent proclaimed him a foreigner — по его произношению было ясно, что он иностранец  
his accent proclaimed that he was a foreigner — по его произношению было ясно, что он иностранец  
foreigner’s deposit — банковский депозит, принадлежащий иностранному владельцу  
give oneself out to be a foreigner — выдавать себя за иностранца  
let on to being a foreigner — прикидываться иностранцем  
marry a foreigner — выйти замуж за иностранца  
exchange foreigner — иностранная валюта  

Примеры с переводом

He is a foreigner, as is evident from his accent. 

Он иностранец, что заметно по его акценту.

He is foreigner by his speech. 

Судя по произношению, он иностранец.

Some of the local people are suspicious of foreigners. 

Некоторые местные жители с подозрением относятся к иностранцам.

Dark hair is a note of the foreigner of southern extraction. 

Тёмные волосы — это характерный признак иностранца южного происхождения.

The foreigner spoke to us quite intelligibly. 

Иностранец говорил с нами вполне понятным языком.

I can tell by your accent you’re a foreigner in these parts. 

Судя по акценту, вы нездешний.

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

I concluded from his awkward constructions that he was a foreigner  

Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.

Возможные однокоренные слова

foreign  — иностранный, зарубежный, внешний, чужой, инородный, чуждый, несоответствующий
foreignism  — подражание иностранному, варваризм, чужеземный обычай
foreignness  — иностранное происхождение, степень чужеродности, чуждость, несвойственность

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): foreigner
мн. ч.(plural): foreigners

Источник

1

: a person belonging to or owing allegiance to a foreign country

Synonyms

Example Sentences



I can tell by your accent you’re a foreigner in these parts.

Recent Examples on the Web

Alarmed by how many foreigners are sleeping in the streets, and begging for food and money, city officials have worked with immigration authorities to round up migrants.


—Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023




The bureau has files on tens of thousands of Americans and foreigners, most of which relate to various FBI investigations.


—Bloomberg News, oregonlive, 28 Mar. 2023




Over the next three decades, Congress employed naturalization law to strip women who married foreigners of their citizenship.


—Hardeep Dhillon, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2023




Moa Almeida Moreover, Carnival rejects perfectionism, inviting young and old, wealthy and working-class, and foreigners and natives front-row seats to celebrate individuality, creativity, and freedom with fervor.


—Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 24 Mar. 2023




The reigning Rana dynasty pursued an isolationist policy that effectively barred foreigners from the region until it was overthrown in 1951, and Nepal has banned the export of culturally significant materials since 1956.


—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2023




Creative work-arounds The war — and with it, the frequent missile barrages and drone attacks — means many foreigners and tourists are nowhere to be seen outside of western cities such as Lviv.


—Michael Bociurkiw, CNN, 16 Mar. 2023




In addition to this material merchandise, the Mongols’ openness toward foreigners and foreign ideas also facilitated the movement of people, philosophies and pathogens across vast stretches of the Silk Road routes.


—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2023




In 2022, just 115.7 million cross-border trips were made in and out of China, with foreigners accounting for around 4.5 million.


—Reuters, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2023


See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘foreigner.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of foreigner was
in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near foreigner

Cite this Entry

“Foreigner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreigner. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on foreigner

Last Updated:
6 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Merriam-Webster unabridged

Источник

The term foreigner is used to refer to al — Qaeda associated operatives of Arab and Central Asian origin. ❋ Unknown (2010)

The term foreigner is locally used for al-Qaeda-linked militants of Arab and Central Asian origin. ❋ Unknown (2009)

In that case, marrying a foreigner is a privilege granted by the government. ❋ Unknown (2009)

For companies already incorporated in Mexico, a plain copy of the Corporate Charter and of the minutes of the shareholders ‘meeting must be included, in which the increase of capital or, as in this case, the acquisition of the shares by a foreigner is acknowledged. ❋ Unknown (2007)

If it’s an emergency, they can start tapping and days later provide «probable cause» that the foreigner is a foreigner to the secret court. ❋ Unknown (2007)

To be solved, the murder and torture of an elderly couple in an isolated farmhouse and the subsequent racially motivated crime that starts to spread when the old lady’s dying word, ‘foreigner‘, is leaked to the press. ❋ Unknown (2008)

The term foreigner is used to refer to al — Qaeda associated operatives of Arab and Central Asian origin. » ❋ Unknown (2010)

If I’m speaking Spanish, any foreigner is an extranjero (a). ❋ Unknown (2009)

If I’m speaking English, any foreigner is just that: a foreigner. ❋ Unknown (2009)

A foreigner from the United States of America is an estadounidense. ❋ Unknown (2009)

I’m not coming to the pub this [lunchtime], I’m staying at work to do [a Foreigner] for a [mate of mine]. ❋ Cree$e (2007)

[The foreigner] could not understand the [directions] to get to [Bounty] Street. ❋ The Alex (2005)

1. I am foreign to this area.
2. I hate those foreigners who don’t speak English.
3. Now [lookie here]… we don’t want none of them foreigners from [Jackson County] ’round here!
4. Sorry dude, I got so drunk at [the Foreigner] concert that I crapped my pants. ❋ Thedzone (2009)

An American: Damn those goddamn foreigners.
An Englishman: I loathe those bloody foreigners.
A Swede: Jävla [utl]änningar.
[A Finn]: Vitun ulkomaalaiset.
A Frenchman: Je [déteste] les étrangers.
A German: Arschlosche Scheisse lözsch blszslzhszöslszzöslch. ❋ FinnishPunk (2005)

1. [Frenchman]: [Mon Dieu]! c’est un etranger! 2nd Frenchman: [Oui], il habite au Bretagne.
2. Reggie Ray: Godamn those foreigners! They’re stealing our jobs as professors, lawyers, doctors, etc…
Johnny: That’s cause you’ve got the IQ of a slug Reggie Ray, and the only thing you’re good at is breaking rocks with other rocks ❋ Axelone (2006)

«Hey [Antonio] [look at that] [ugly] foreigner.» ❋ Lorenzo (2004)

hey this party is pretty [dope]. Wait, is that [a foreigner]. Eeewwww, Im fucking [leaving] ❋ JIM HAT (2005)

«Holy shit, I just saw [Foreigner] in concert!»
«Damn, [’bout] fuckin time. I saw em [last year].» ❋ Thadius Miller (2004)

[Have you heard about] this [edit] of this girl? People call her [a Foreigner] now. ❋ Curiosity Is Near (2020)

Person 1: [I be] pullin’ [up in] [foreigns] ❋ BNGRZ (2018)

Источник

Понравилась статья? Поделить с друзьями:
  • Meaning of the word forbidding
  • Meaning of the word footing
  • Meaning of the word football
  • Meaning of the word flora and fauna
  • Meaning of the word flood