foist
/ˈfȯist/ (ame, mw)
foist — verb
- foistpresent simple I / you / we / they
- foists3rd person singular
- foisting-ing form
- foistedpast simple
1. to make someone accept or deal with something they do not want, especially by us
to make someone accept or deal with something they do not want, especially by using dishonest methods or by giving them no real choice in the matter
The salesperson foisted an expensive insurance plan on the elderly couple who had only asked for basic coverage.
foist + expensive plan + on + someone
No one wanted to plan the office party, but Umar foisted the responsibility onto his junior colleague.
foist + responsibility + onto + someone
Supermarkets sometimes foist nearly expired goods on customers by hiding them inside promotional bundles.
The government was accused of foisting higher taxes on small businesses without any public debate.
Every time Aunt Rosa redecorates, she tries to foist her old furniture on relatives who do not want it.
- impose
more formal and can apply to rules or restrictions without implying deceit
- thrust upon
emphasises suddenness and lack of choice rather than dishonesty
- offload
suggests getting rid of something burdensome; less focused on the recipient's unwillingness
- unload
informal; similar to offload but often used of physical objects or blame
文法句型
foist + something + on/upon/onto + someone
用法筆記
Commonly used with the prepositions on, upon, or onto to introduce the unwilling recipient. The object being foisted is typically something undesirable — a product, cost, task, or opinion.
常見錯誤
❌ 'My boss forced me to work late' in place of 'My boss foisted extra work on me.' — 'Force' is more direct and neutral; 'foist' implies trickery or unfairness.
2. to put something into a place, document, or conversation secretly and without ha
to put something into a place, document, or conversation secretly and without having the proper authority to do so
The journalist foisted a hidden advertisement into what was supposed to be a neutral news article.
foist + hidden advertisement + into + article
Someone had foisted a forged signature into the contract after it had already been approved by the legal team.
Diego noticed that a paragraph praising the product had been foisted into the review without the editor's knowledge.
The director accused the screenwriter of foisting jokes into a scene that was meant to be deeply emotional.
文法句型
foist + something + into + something
用法筆記
Implies that the insertion is dishonest or unauthorised. The sense overlaps with 'insert surreptitiously'; the direct object is usually intangible (a clause, a line of dialogue, a fee) rather than a physical item.
常見錯誤
3. to present something false or of poor quality as if it were genuine or valuable,
to present something false or of poor quality as if it were genuine or valuable, typically in order to trick someone into buying or accepting it
The street vendor tried to foist cheap plastic jewellery on tourists as genuine silver.
foist + cheap thing + on + someone + as + genuine thing
Kwame was furious when the gallery foisted a forgery onto him as an original painting by the artist.
Unscrupulous dealers sometimes foist counterfeit watches onto buyers who cannot tell the difference.
The auction house discovered that the seller had foisted a mass-produced replica on a collector as an eighteenth-century chair.
文法句型
foist + something + on/onto + someone + as + something
用法筆記
Overlaps with 'to palm off' (British English) and 'to pass off'. Unlike sense 1, this sense specifically involves misrepresenting the nature or quality of the object itself.