foul play

noun

Definition of foul playnext
1
as in murder
the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life the coroner ruled that there was no evidence of foul play

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in violence
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 & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foul play But Balogun clearly did not have serious foul play on his mind. — Sean Gregory, Time, 5 July 2026 Investigators later learned that Childers’ medication was still at the home, and said foul play was suspected. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026 He was dismissed for ‘serious foul play’, which deals with players who endanger the safety of an opponent. — Tom Bogert, New York Times, 2 July 2026 The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post that Sandra Banta’s cause of death remains under investigation, but investigators do not believe foul play was involved. — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for foul play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul play
  1. murder
  2. violence
  3. homicide
  4. blood
  5. killing
Noun
  • Diaz, 52, suffered burns to her arm and stomach while trying to incinerate the car and was soon charged with Lopez’s murder, according to a court transcript and a criminal complaint.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • His son, Nick Reiner, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his parents.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of murder
Noun
  • News outlets uncovered years-old comments on Reddit that appeared to endorse political violence, dismiss rape in the military, criticize rural Americans and use anti-gay slurs.
    — Kimberlee Kruesi, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Al-Geneina and al-Fashir saw the most intense violence in the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF that continued for more than three years.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 9 July 2026
Definition of violence
Noun
  • Police in Georgia recovered some of Warren's property and other items relevant to the homicide investigation a few days later, discarded behind a Cracker Barrel restaurant, according to prosecutors.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • Nocturne tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 July 2026
Definition of homicide
Noun
  • Earlier in the episode, the bad blood between Tamra and Shannon Storms Beador over the last few seasons bubbled up in the storyline.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
  • Perno has been battling cancer in his blood and his right lung since January.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of blood
Noun
  • Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Jason Melara, Taylor and Johnson not only with his murder, but also the killing of Mario Melara under the theory that his death was provoked by the armed robbery of Aguilar.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
  • Graphic videos of the shooting flooded social media and politicians on both sides of the aisle condemned the killing – one example of the political violence roiling America in recent years.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of killing

Browse Nearby Words

foulness
foul play
fouls
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul%20play. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of foul play for Spanish Speakers

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