foul line

noun

1

: either of two straight lines extending from the rear corner of home plate through the outer corners of first and third base respectively and prolonged to the boundary of a baseball field

2

: a line across a bowling alley that a player must not step over when delivering the ball

3

: either of two lines on a basketball court parallel to and 15 feet from the backboards behind which a player must stand while shooting a free throw

Examples of foul line in a Sentence

The ball landed just inside the right-field foul line.

Recent Examples on the Web

Heat backup center Kevin Love contributed 16 points on 2-of-3 shooting from three-point range and 10-of-10 shooting from the foul line, seven rebounds and one assist in 12 minutes off the bench. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2024

Lorenzo Solares knocked in Mullin on an RBI double that rolled along the left field foul line. —Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

foul line

noun

1

: either of two straight lines running from the rear corner of home plate through first and third base on to the boundary of a baseball field

2

: a line across which a player must not step (as when bowling or shooting a free throw)