• (British) IPA: /ˈfɒɹɪn/, /ˈfɒɹən/
• (America) IPA: /ˈfɔɹɪn/, /ˈfɔɹən/

foreign

1. Located outside a country or place, especially one's own.

   foreign markets; foreign soil

   He liked visiting foreign cities.

2. Originating from, characteristic of, belonging to, or being a citizen of a country or place other than the one under discussion.

   foreign car; foreign word; foreign citizen; foreign trade

   There are many more foreign students in Europe since the Erasmus scheme started.

3. Relating to a different nation.

   foreign policy; foreign navies

4. Not characteristic of or naturally taken in by an organism or system.

   foreign body; foreign substance; foreign gene; foreign species

5. (with to, formerly with from) Alien; strange.

   It was completely foreign to their way of thinking.

   • 1708, Jonathan Swift, A Letter Concerning the Sacramental Test

     this design is not so foreign from some people's thoughts.

6. (obsolete) Held at a distance; excluded; exiled.
   • 1613, William Shakespeare; [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene ii]:

     Kept him a foreign man still; which so grieved him, / That he ran mad and died.

7. (US, state legal) From a different one of the states of the United States, as of a state of residence or incorporation.
8. Belonging to a different organization, company etc.

   My bank charges me $2.50 every time I use a foreign ATM.

9. (obsolete) Outside, outdoors, outdoor.

• (from a different country) overseas, international
• (strange) alien, fremd
• (in a place where it does not belong) extraneous

• (from a different country) domestic
• (not characteristic) native
• (native to an area) indigenous

• French: étranger
• German: fremd
• Italian: estraneo, estranea
• Portuguese: estrangeiro
• Russian: иностра́нный
• Spanish: extraño

• French: étranger, étrangère
• German: ausländisch, fremd
• Italian: straniero, straniera
• Portuguese: estrangeiro
• Russian: иностра́нный
• Spanish: extranjero, forastero, foráneo

• Portuguese: estrangeiro, exterior
• Russian: вне́шний
• Spanish: extranjero, exterior

• Portuguese: estranho
• Russian: иноро́дный
• Spanish: extraño

• Portuguese: estranho
• Russian: чу́ждый

foreign (plural foreigns)

1. A foreign person, particularly:
   1. (now informal) A foreigner: a person from another country.
      • 2011 August 30, "White House Extremely Worried About People Saying Dumb Stuff on 9/11 ↗" in Gawker:

        The messaging instructions come in two sets: one for domestics, another for the foreigns.

   2. (obsolete) An outsider: a person from another place or group.
   3. (obsolete) A non-guildmember.
2. (obsolete) A foreign ship.
3. (obsolete) Clipping of chamber foreign: an outhouse.
   • 1303, Richard Mannyng, Handlyng Synne, l. 7436 f.:

     Ful foule ys þat forreyne
     Þat ys comoun for al certeyne.

4. A foreign area, particularly:
   1. (now dialect) An area of a community that lies outside the legal town or parish limits.
   2. (obsolete, usually, in the plural) An area of a monastery outside its legal limits or serving as an outer court.
5. Short for various phrases, including foreign language, foreign parts, and foreign service.

• (outhouse) chamber foreign; see also Thesaurus:bathroom