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
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Texas State turned the ball over 13 times in the first half and committed nine personal fouls.
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Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Green finished the game with only one personal foul, but Steph Curry fouled out with 42 seconds, a rarity for the Warriors star.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Ransom, a fourth-round pick, then made amends for his game-ending personal foul against the New Orleans Saints, with the last-minute pick of Mayfield with 42 seconds remaining.
—Charlotte Observer, 22 Dec. 2025
Following the brief skirmish between the two squads, the refs penalized the Giants' Theo Johnson with a personal foul for 15 yards, neutralizing Dart's scramble for extra yards.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
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Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Green finished the game with only one personal foul, but Steph Curry fouled out with 42 seconds, a rarity for the Warriors star.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Ransom, a fourth-round pick, then made amends for his game-ending personal foul against the New Orleans Saints, with the last-minute pick of Mayfield with 42 seconds remaining.
—Charlotte Observer, 22 Dec. 2025
Following the brief skirmish between the two squads, the refs penalized the Giants' Theo Johnson with a personal foul for 15 yards, neutralizing Dart's scramble for extra yards.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for personal foul
Cite this Entry
“Personal foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20foul. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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