foisted; foisting; foists

transitive verb

1
a
: to introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant
b
: to force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit
when the states … foist unnecessary expenses on local taxpayersT. C. Desmond
2
: to pass off as genuine or worthy
foist costly and valueless products on the publicJonathan Spivak
… inferior caviar has been foisted on an unknowing public …David Rosengarten

Did you know?

That the word foist is commonly used today to mean “to force another to accept by stealth or deceit” makes sense given its original—now obsolete—use in talking about a bit of literal sleight of hand. When it first rolled into English in the mid-1500s, foist was all about dice, dice, baby, referring to palming—that is, concealing in one’s hand a phony die so as to secretly introduce it into a game at a convenient time. The action involved in this cheating tactic reflects the etymology of foist: the word is believed to have come from the obsolete Dutch verb vuisten, meaning “to take into one’s hand.” Vuisten in turn comes from vuyst, the Middle Dutch word for “fist,” which itself is distantly related to the Old English ancestor of fist. By the late 16th century, foist was being used in English to mean “to insert surreptitiously,” and it quickly acquired the “force to accept” meaning that is most familiar today.

Examples of foist in a Sentence

shopkeepers who foist shoddy souvenirs on unsuspecting tourists
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
How does this Diné woman feel about working for an agency enforcing borders that have been involuntarily foisted upon Indigenous people? Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025 The manager of the Tampa Bay Rays is rolling with the punches foisted on his team by the elements. Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025 Democrats are going to try to figure out how to salvage the public good out of the wreckage just foist upon us. John Parkinson, ABC News, 19 Dec. 2024 But that was foisted on the 6-foot-1 guard anyway after a bone cyst was found on his left femur in the fall. Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foist

Word History

Etymology

probably from obsolete Dutch vuisten to take into one's hand, from Middle Dutch vuysten, from vuyst fist; akin to Old English fȳst fist

First Known Use

circa 1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of foist was circa 1587

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Cite this Entry

“Foist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foist. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

foist

verb
: to pass off (something false) as genuine

More from Merriam-Webster on foist

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