foment — to encourage or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action)
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to encourage or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action)
Pronunciation (IPA): /foʊˈment/
Example Sentences
- The politician's inflammatory speech was designed to foment anger against his opponents.
- My little brother likes to foment chaos by hiding everyone's left shoes before school.
- The spy was caught trying to foment dissent within the enemy ranks.
foment
VERB[/foʊˈment/]
to encourage or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action)
The agitator foments rebellion by whispering lies to angry villagers in the town square.
Foe meant to stir up trouble in his brewing pot!
One moment to foment turns peace into lament!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'fomentum' meaning 'warm application' or 'poultice,' derived from 'fovere' meaning 'to warm' or 'to cherish.' Originally a medical term for applying warm compresses to wounds, it evolved to mean stirring up or inciting emotions or situations.
Breakdown
foment- (from Latin 'fovere' meaning 'to warm, cherish') + no clear prefix/suffix division in modern English
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The politician's inflammatory speech was designed to foment anger against his opponents.”
“My little brother likes to foment chaos by hiding everyone's left shoes before school.”
“The spy was caught trying to foment dissent within the enemy ranks.”
“Social media can easily foment outrage over minor incidents.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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