1. to encourage or stir up (trouble, rebellion, or unrest)
2. to apply warm, moist heat to (a part of the body) for medical treatment
Usage: medical

Examples

• The radical leader foments discord among the workers.
• Social media sometimes foments political tensions.
• The nurse foments the patient’s injured ankle with warm compresses.
• His inflammatory speeches foment unrest in the community.
• The doctor foments the swollen joint to reduce inflammation.
• Propaganda often foments hatred between different groups.