foment
verb

- to cause trouble to develop

- instigate or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action)

Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Languages

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WORD ORIGIN

The word “foment” comes from Latin, originally meaning “to warm or soothe,” as in applying a hot compress for healing. It entered English in the 1400s through Old French, where it was used in medical contexts—literally about applying heat to the body.

By the late 1500s, its meaning had shifted. Just as heat can stir the body into healing, “foment” came to mean “stir up” trouble—especially in politics or social unrest.

Today, it’s mostly used to mean “incite or encourage” negative actions like protests, rebellion, or division.

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TROUBLE, ON PURPOSE

Pivotal moments in history are often shaped by deliberate acts of unrest:

- The Arab Spring (2010–2012) is a prime example, where social media was used to foment political change across the Middle East and North Africa, leading to mass protests and the toppling of regimes.

- Russia and China have actively fomented coups and political instability in countries such as Montenegro and Moldova, aiming to destabilize regions for strategic gain.

- The Russian Revolution was famously fomented by leaders seeking to exit World War I and upend the Tsarist regime—forever altering global power structures.

- In 1953, the CIA, under Kermit Roosevelt Jr., helped foment a coup in Iran, overthrowing its democratically elected government and reinstalling the Shah.

These events underscore how fomenting unrest or change has long been a lever of geopolitical transformation—sometimes for better, often with long shadows.

But fomenting isn’t always about huge upheaval. It could be a bold idea in a boardroom, a disruptive startup pitch, or the colleague who challenges “the way we’ve always done it.”

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

abet, actuate, agitate, animate, arouse, be the spark, blow the coals, brew trouble, bring on, bring to a boil, call forth, catalyze, cause a stir (unrest), churn up, detonate, disrupt the peace, disturb, egg on, electrify, enflame, enkindle, fan the flames, ferment, FOMENT, foster, galvanize, generate unrest, give rise to, goad, ignite, incite, inflame, instigate, kindle, lash, light a fire under, light the fuse, precipitate, prick, provoke, put a match to, raise a storm, rattle the cage, rile, rock the boat, set in motion, set the wheels turning, sow discord (dissent), spur on, stir the pot, stir up, stoke, touch off, trigger, whet, whip/work up

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“Market research helps FOMENT smarter, data-driven strategies.”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D

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