be a foil to
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He presented me in society under the expectation that my dulness would be a foil to his qualities.
From The Lily of the Valley by Wormeley, Katharine Prescott
He is to have none, I suppose, but just be a foil to throw her into relief.
From Kate Carnegie and Those Ministers by Maclaren, Ian
He would only be a foil to Mr. Hardie, and perhaps bring him on faster.
From Love Me Little, Love Me Long by Reade, Charles
I won't go about to be a foil to her.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science October, 1877. Vol XX - No. 118 by Various
The many people that fall down may be a foil to illustrate the dangers of the path, for the purpose of deepening the impression of improvement.
From Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts by Jelliffe, Smith Ely
