personal foul
noun
: a foul in a game (such as basketball) involving usually physical contact with or deliberate roughing of an opponent compare technical foul
Examples of personal foul in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Portis was called for a personal foul, and a review confirmed there was no unnecessary contact for a flagrant.
—
Chloe Peterson, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Jan. 2024
The Monarchs were called for five personal fouls and 10 penalties overall.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2023
The survey also found that UNC and Duke were tops for bad behavior on the court, coming in at No. 3 and No. 11, respectively, for number of personal fouls committed during March Madness games from 2016-2022.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 29 Feb. 2024
Senior small forward Messiah Jones finished with zero points, two rebounds, one assist, one turnover and one personal foul.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2024
Some of the questionable calls included: the light contact on Christie’s fifth personal foul, Dawson Garcia being whistled for an offensive foul when backing down a Spartans player, and a Michigan State player not being issued a technical foul for slamming the ball down after a call.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2024
Officials reviewed the play but opted to call Mathurin only for a personal foul.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Kansas City will get the ball to start the third quarter.
25d ago / 1:23 PM PST
David K. Li
The Ravens first penalty was a big one, as Kyle Van Noy was flagged for a personal foul for an after-play scuffle with Kelce.
—NBC News, 29 Jan. 2024
After a couple of personal fouls on Baltimore helped Kansas City cross midfield late in the half, the Chiefs were flagged for back-to-back holding calls, the second of which wiped out a 33-yard screen pass to Rashee Rice that would have been a touchdown.
—Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024
Chloe Peterson, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Jan. 2024
The Monarchs were called for five personal fouls and 10 penalties overall.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2023
The survey also found that UNC and Duke were tops for bad behavior on the court, coming in at No. 3 and No. 11, respectively, for number of personal fouls committed during March Madness games from 2016-2022.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 29 Feb. 2024
Senior small forward Messiah Jones finished with zero points, two rebounds, one assist, one turnover and one personal foul.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2024
Some of the questionable calls included: the light contact on Christie’s fifth personal foul, Dawson Garcia being whistled for an offensive foul when backing down a Spartans player, and a Michigan State player not being issued a technical foul for slamming the ball down after a call.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2024
Officials reviewed the play but opted to call Mathurin only for a personal foul.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Kansas City will get the ball to start the third quarter.
25d ago / 1:23 PM PST
David K. Li
The Ravens first penalty was a big one, as Kyle Van Noy was flagged for a personal foul for an after-play scuffle with Kelce.
—NBC News, 29 Jan. 2024
After a couple of personal fouls on Baltimore helped Kansas City cross midfield late in the half, the Chiefs were flagged for back-to-back holding calls, the second of which wiped out a 33-yard screen pass to Rashee Rice that would have been a touchdown.
—Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'personal foul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Personal foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20foul. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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