foley

F4O1L1E1Y4
/ˈfoʊli/

noun

The creation of sound effects, and their addition to film and TV images.

OriginIrish Ó Foghlú ← Old Irish Ó Foghladha →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

foley1

nounfoley (countable and uncountable, plural foleys)

plural foleys

  1. USuncountableThe creation of sound effects, and their addition to film and TV images.
  2. UScountableA foley artist.
  3. colloquialcountableuncountablemedicineA Foley catheter.

Foley2

proper nounFoley (countable and uncountable, plural Foleys)

plural Foleys

  1. countableuncountableA surname from Irish.

    Melissa Foley clears debris in her neighborhood as the San Lorenzo River rises in Felton on Saturday, January 14.

    2023 January 16, “California’s flooding, in pictures”, in CNN, archived from the original on 17 Mar 2023
  2. countableuncountableA city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.
  3. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of Benton County, Minnesota, United States.
  4. countableuncountableA city in Lincoln County, Missouri, United States.

Origin

foley · noun

  1. Old IrishÓ Foghladha“plunderer”
  2. IrishÓ Foghlú
  3. Englishfoley

From the surname Foley, itself from Irish Ó Foghlú and Old Irish Ó Foghladha (“plunderer”). The meanings related to sound effects are named after sound effects pioneer Jack Foley.

More words from Irish, Old Irish

Full word history & related roots →

Foley · proper noun

  1. IrishÓ Foghladha“descendant of Foghlaidh”
  2. EnglishFoley

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Foghladha (“descendant of Foghlaidh”), a byname from foghlaí (“plunderer, pillager, marauder, robber”).

More words from Irish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Esperanto kreado de sonefektoj, sonefektofarado
  • kreado de sonefektojcreation of sound effects
  • sonefektofaradocreation of sound effects
French bruitage
  • bruitagecreation of sound effects
German Geräuschemachen, Foley
  • Geräuschemachencreation of sound effects
  • Foleycreation of sound effects
Japanese 擬音
  • 擬音creation of sound effects
Polish realizacja dźwięku
  • realizacja dźwiękucreation of sound effects
Portuguese sonoplastia
  • sonoplastiacreation of sound effects
Spanish efectos de sala / foley / sonoros
  • efectos de sala / foley / sonoroscreation of sound effects
Swedish tramp, foley
  • trampcreation of sound effects
  • foleycreation of sound effects

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with foley

holyslowlypolywhollygoalieRowleyunholylowlyravioliguacamolemolyholeyaioliAnatolibolicannolianolecarnarolicoalyEgolifor the love of all that is holyin the name of all that is holypasta e fagiolisalsamole
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

foley

Anagrams

foyle
Cite this entry
APA

foley. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foley

MLA

“foley.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foley. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foley,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foley.

Source: foley on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.