tr.v. foist·ed, foist·ing, foists 1. To pass off as genuine, valuable, or worthy: "I can usually tell whether a poet ... is foisting off on us what he'd like to think is pure invention" (J.D. Salinger). 2. To impose (something or someone unwanted) upon another by coercion or trickery: They had extra work foisted on them because they couldn't say no to the boss. 3. To insert fraudulently or deceitfully: foisted unfair provisions into the contract. [Probably Dutch dialectal vuisten, to take in hand, from Middle Dutch, from vuist, fist; see penkwe in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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