foul play

1 the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life <the coroner ruled that there was no evidence of foul play> Synonyms blood, homicide, murder, rubout, slayingRelated Words chance-medley, killing, manslaughter; bloodshed, butchery, carnage, decimation, destruction, massacre, slaughter; assassination, execution, hit; euthanasia, mercy killing; filicide, fratricide, matricide, parricide, patricide, regicide, uxoricide

2 the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property <the suspect has a long history of foul play, and was once convicted on assault and battery charges> Synonyms force, violenceRelated Words coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, pressure; barbarity, brutality, savagery; damage, detriment, harm, hurt, impairment, injury; crippling, maiming, mayhem, mutilation; assault, attack, bashing, battering, battery, batting, beating, belting, bludgeoning, buffeting, clubbing, cudgeling (or cudgelling), drubbing, flogging, hammering, lacing, licking, mauling, paddling, pelting, pommeling (or pommelling), pounding, pummeling (also pummelling), smashing, socking, thrashing, thumping, tromping, walloping, whaling, whipping; frenzy, fury, onslaught, outbreak, outrage, paroxysm, rage, rampage, revolt, riot, rupture, shock, storm, terror, threat, tumult, turbulence, upheaval, uproar; browbeating, bulldozing, bullying, hectoring, strong-armingNear Antonyms pacificism, pacifismAntonyms nonviolence