foist

/fɔist/

Thân thiện

He tried to foist his old, broken lawnmower on his neighbor.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To impose or force something (often unwanted or inferior) upon someone in a deceptive or unwarranted manner: The core meaning involves introducing or inserting something, typically an idea, task, or object, onto another person through trickery or without their full consent.
   • To insert or introduce something surreptitiously or fraudulently: This meaning focuses on the act of adding something into a document, agreement, or situation in a secretive or dishonest way.

Usage and Examples

• To foist something on/upon someone:
  • The salesman tried to foist an expensive warranty on the unsuspecting customer.
  • I didn't want the responsibility, but they foisted the project management role on me.
• To foist something into something:
  • The lawyer was accused of foisting a misleading clause into the contract.
  • The editor foisted several errors into the final text.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Deceptive Imposition: "Foist" almost always carries a negative connotation, implying the thing being imposed is inferior, unwanted, or fraudulent. The action is done without the recipient's informed agreement.
  • The corrupt official foisted bribes on local businesses.
• Literary/Formal Context: The verb is more common in formal writing, criticism, or narrative descriptions of deceitful actions than in casual everyday speech.

Variants and Related Words

• Foisting (gerund/noun): The act of imposing something deceptively.
  • The foisting of substandard products on consumers is unethical.
• Fob off: A related phrasal verb meaning to deceive someone by giving them something inferior (often used as "fob something off on someone").
  • He tried to fob off his old laptop on me as a gift.

Synonyms

• Impose: To force something to be accepted.
• Palm off: To deceive someone into accepting something (similar to "fob off").
• Sneak in: To introduce something secretly.
• Unload: To get rid of something burdensome by passing it to someone else.

Antonyms

• Offer: To present something for voluntary acceptance.
• Withdraw: To take something back or remove it.
• Request: To ask for something politely.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "To foist oneself on someone": To force one's company or presence on someone who may not desire it.
  • He had a habit of foisting himself on his colleagues after work.
• "To foist responsibility on someone": A common collocation for unfairly assigning a duty.
  • The manager foisted all the blame for the failure on his assistant.

Học thuật

Verb

1. insert surreptitiously or without warrant
2. to force onto another
   • He foisted his work on me