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foist

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foist¹

  • /fɔɪst/ UK, US

Rhymes with -ɔɪst

Where it comes from

Probably from archaic Dutch vuisten (“to take into one’s hand”), from Middle Dutch vuysten, from vuyst (“fist”); akin to Old English fyst (“fist”).

verb foists · foisting · foisted

  1. transitive To introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant. But apart from this, it is difficult for a man like Watt to tell a long story like Watt's without leaving out some things, and foisting in others.
  2. transitive To force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit; to stick. I am, of course, perfectly aware of how old men try to foist on the public the decay of their intellects and all the rest of their senile shortcomings as valuable qualities, the possession of which gives them special authority.
  3. transitive To pass off as genuine or worthy. foist costly and valueless products on the public

Similar: fob off, pass off, pawn off, palm off

noun foists

  1. historical, slang A thief or pickpocket. The foist had lately arrived form the country and was known to be doing a thriving trade in and around Westminster Hall where many country folk and others came to see lawyers.

    Similar: pickpocket

foist²

Where it comes from

From Old French fuste (“stick, boat”), from Latin fustis (“cudgel”).

noun foists

  1. obsolete A type of light and fast-sailing ship. These are mad boys, I tell you; these are things That will not strike their top-sails to a foist, / And let a man of war, an argosy, Hull and cry cockles.

    Similar: fuste, fusta

foist³

Where it comes from

From Old French fust (whence also French fût), from Latin fustis.

noun foists

  1. obsolete A cask for wine.
  2. Fustiness; mustiness.

foist⁴

adjective

  1. not comparable, pronunciation spelling Pronunciation spelling of first Cause if yer did the foist thing yer know along would come a blizzard an’ make yer out a liar.

Foist⁵

Where it comes from

Fo + -ist

noun Foists

  1. A follower of Chinese Buddhism.

Thesaurus

verb

Similar: fob off, pass off, pawn off, palm off

Translations

Every language

verb introduce or insert surreptitiously

Françaisrefourguer
Deutschaufdrängen, aufhalsen
Italianosbolognare
Русскийподсу́нуть podsúnutʹ, подсо́вывать podsóvyvatʹ

verb force another to accept

Españolendilgar, endosar, imponer, pegarse, enjaretar, endiñar
Françaisimposer
Deutschaufzwingen
Italianosbolognare
Русскийнавяза́ть navjazátʹ, навя́зывать navjázyvatʹ

verb pass off as genuine

Italianosbolognare
Русскийподсу́нуть podsúnutʹ, подсо́вывать podsóvyvatʹ

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Cite this
MLA

"foist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/foist. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

foist. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/foist

Chicago

"foist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/foist.

BibTeX
@misc{foist_2026,
  title = {foist},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/foist},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}