Dictionary Definition
foil
Noun
1 a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal; "the
photographic film was wrapped in foil"
2 anything that serves by contrast to call
attention to another thing's good qualities; "pretty girls like
plain friends as foils" [syn: enhancer]
3 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" [syn:
hydrofoil]
4 picture consisting of a positive photograph or
drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector [syn:
transparency]
5 a light slender flexible sword tipped by a
button
Verb
1 enhance by contrast; "In this picture, the
figures are foiled against the background"
2 hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or
desires) of; "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was
Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent" [syn:
thwart, queer, spoil, scotch, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilk]
3 cover or back with foil; "foil mirrors"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɔɪl- Coil
- A very thin sheet of metal.
- Thin aluminium/aluminum (or, formerly, tin) used for wrapping food.
- A thin layer of metal put between a jewel and its setting to make it seem more brilliant.
- In literature, theatre/theater, etc, a character who helps emphasize the traits of the main character.
- Anything that acts to emphasise the characteristics of something.
- A very thin sword with a blunted (or foiled) tip
- A thin, transparent plastic material on which marks are made and projected for the purposes of presentation. See transparency.
- Shortened form of hydrofoil.
- Shortened form of aerofoil/airfoil.
Synonyms
- (thin aluminium/aluminum): aluminium foil, silver foil, silver paper, tin foil
Translations
thin sheet of metal
thin aluminium/aluminum or tin used for wrapping
food
- Dutch: Aluminiumfolie
- Finnish: folio
- French: papier d'aluminium , alu
- German: Aluminiumfolie
- Italian: carta stagnola
- Lithuanian: folija
- Spanish: papel de aluminio
- Swedish: aluminiumfolie
type of sword used in fencing
thin layer of metal put between a jewel and its
setting to make it seem more brilliant
- Lithuanian: folija
a character who helps emphasise the traits of
the main character
- German: Kontrastfigur
anything that acts to emphasise the
characteristics of something
shortened form of hydrofoil See hydrofoil
Verb
- To prevent (something) from being accomplished.
- To multiply two binomials together.
Synonyms
- (prevent (something) from being accomplished): put the kibosh on, scupper, thwart
Translations
prevent from being accomplished
- Finnish: estää, pilata (pilata suunnitelma)
- French: déjouer
- German: hintertreiben
- Spanish: frustrar
Extensive Definition
Foil may refer to:
Materials:
- Metal leaf, a thin sheet of metal
- Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
- Plastic foil, a thin layer of plastics
Fluid Mechanics:
- Foil (fluid mechanics), a type of wing or blade used to provide lift
- Foil bearing, a type of fluid bearing
Paper making:
- Foil (papermaking), a type of ving under the wire in the wire section of a paper machine creating a vacuum pulse to eliminate water from the stock (fibre/water slurry).
- Ultrasonic foil (papermaking), a type of high frequency vibrating foil under the wire, creating cavitation, imploding vacuum bubbles, in the stock on the wire. The shock waves from the imploding bubbles will distribute the fibres more uniform in the paper web and this will give a stronger paper.
In art:
- Foil stamping, printmaking technique
In mathematics:
- FOIL rule, a way to expand polynomials
In navigation:
- Hydrofoil, a type of boat using foils designed for water
- Bruce foil, a foil used on an outrigger to prevent a boat from heeling
- Centreboard, a movable keel that functions as a foil
- Foilboard, a surfboard using a hydrofoil
Foil may also be:
- First Order Inductive Learner - a rule-based learning algorithm.
- FOIL programming language, one of two defunct computer programming languages
- Foil (band), a Seattle grunge rock group c.1990-1998.
- Foil (fencing), one of the three weapons used in modern fencing
- Foil (literature), a character who emphasizes the traits of a main character
- Comedic foil, (or comic foil), is the straight man in a comedy team.
- FOIL (acronym for Film Over Incandescent Light), an image projection technique
foil in German: Folie
foil in Dutch: Folie
foil in Swedish: Folie
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Roscius, actor, actress, antagonist, antipode, antipodes, antipole, antithesis, antonym, background, background
detail, bad guy, baffle,
bafflement, balk, balking, barnstormer, beat, bilbo, bilk, blast, brave, broadsword, buffalo, cast down, challenge, character, character actor,
character man, character woman, check, checkmate, child actor,
circumvent, claymore, coat, coating, collop, confound, confounding, confront, confusion, contra, contravene, converse, counter, counteract, counterbalance, countercheck, countermand, counterpoint, counterpoise, counterpole, counterterm, counterwork, covering, cross, curb, cut, cutlass, dash, daunt, deal, deceive, decorative composition,
decorative style, defeat,
defeat expectation, defy,
design, destroy, detail, disappoint, discomfit, discomfiture, disconcert, disconcertion, discountenance, diseur, diseuse, dish, disillusion, disk, disrupt, dissatisfy, dramatizer, elude, embarrass, epee, evade, falchion, faze, feeder, feuille, figure, film, flake, flap, flummox, foiling, fold, foreground detail, form, frustrate, frustration, get around, get
round, give the runaround, give the slip, glaive, go one better, hamper, heavy, histrio, histrion, impede, ingenue, inverse, juvenile, knock the chocks,
lamella, lamina, laminated glass,
laminated wood, lamination, lap, layer, leaf, let down, matinee idol,
membrane, mime, mimer, mimic, monologist, motif, mummer, national style, nonplus, nullify, obverse, offset, opposite, opposite number,
ornamental motif, outfigure, outflank, outgeneral, outguess, outmaneuver, outplay, outreach, outsmart, outwit, overreach, pane, panel, pantomime, pantomimist, parry, pass the buck, patina, pattern, peel, pellicle, period style,
perplex, plait, plank, plate, plating, playactor, player, ply, plywood, protean actor, rapier, rasher, rattle, rebuff, reciter, repeated figure,
repulse, restrain, reversal, reverse, rout, ruin, saber, sabotage, safety glass,
scale, scimitar, scotch, scum, setback, setoff, setting, sheet, skin, slab, slat, slice, soubrette, spike, spoil, stage performer, stage
player, stonewall,
stooge, straight man,
stroller, strolling
player, stump, style, table, tablet, tantalize, tease, the contrary, the other
side, theatrical,
theme, thespian, thwart, thwarting, touch, trouper, tuck, upset, utility man, veneer, victimize, villain, vis-a-vis, wafer