foreigners

IPA/ˈfɒr.ə.nər/
KK[fˈɔrənɚz]IPA/ˈfɔːr.ə.nɚ/

foreigners — noun

  • foreignerssingular
  • foreignersesplural

1. Someone who lives in or visits a country that is not their own country of citize

1.nounA2
Definition

Someone who lives in or visits a country that is not their own country of citizenship or birth — the plural form is commonly used when referring to groups of people from other nations.

Example

Iker's language school helped many foreigners learn Spanish before their university courses started.

countable noun: many foreigners + purpose clause

Yael noticed that most foreigners at the conference spoke English as a common language.

Common collocations
  • foreigners from + [country/region]
  • foreigners living/working/studying in + [place]
  • attitudes toward foreigners
  • treatment of foreigners
  • welcome foreigners
  • a city full of foreigners
Synonyms
  • outsider

    Stronger emotional sense — suggests not belonging, while 'foreigner' is neutral about belonging and purely based on nationality

  • visitor

    Implies a short stay; a foreigner may live permanently in the country

  • non-native

    More formal; common in ecological or technical contexts (e.g. 'non-native species')

Antonyms
  • native

    A person born in a particular place

  • citizen

    A person who has full legal rights in a country

  • local

    Informal — a person who lives in the area, regardless of nationality

Usage Note

This entry shows the plural form 'foreigners', which is very common in everyday English. The singular 'foreigner' (e.g. 'one foreigner') is also used. Unlike some plural-only nouns, 'foreigners' follows regular countable-noun grammar: you can say 'one foreigner', 'two foreigners', 'many foreigners', etc.

Common Mistakes

He is a foreigner in his own hometown.
He feels like a stranger in his own hometown.
'Foreigner' means someone from another country, not someone who feels unfamiliar with a place.
The company hired three foreigners from the same city.
The company hired three people from the same city.
'Foreigner' only fits when the person comes from a different country, not a different city in the same country.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to someone who is in a place that is not their original home, but they differ in focus. 'Foreigner' is nationality-based and neutral: it simply identifies someone from another country. 'Outsider' (B2) carries a stronger emotional charge of not belonging or being excluded — a foreigner can be perfectly integrated and still be called a foreigner. 'Visitor' (A2) implies a short or temporary stay, while a foreigner may settle permanently. 'Non-native' (B2) is more formal and appears in technical contexts such as biology or demographics. 'Immigrant' (B1) specifically means someone who has moved to a new country intending to stay long-term, whereas a foreigner could just be passing through. Example: 'As a foreigner in Tokyo, Tomás enjoyed learning the local customs.' 'As an outsider at the meeting, Gita hesitated to join the discussion.'

outsider ↗visitor ↗non-native ↗immigrant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • treatment of foreigners
  • group of foreigners
  • help for foreigners
  • community of foreigners

Phrases

  • a city full of foreigners
  • foreigners living abroad
  • welcome foreigners with open arms

Prepositions

  • foreigners from
  • foreigners in
  • attitudes toward foreigners

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'foreigner' is formed from 'foreign' + the agent suffix '-er' (meaning 'a person who does or is something'). 'Foreign' comes from Old French 'forain' (outside, external, strange), which traces back to Latin 'foranus' (on the outside), derived from 'foris' (outside, out-of-doors). The underlying Latin root is related to 'fores' (door), giving the sense of 'someone from outside the door' — originally, anyone from beyond one's community or land.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1