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

They were called for two personal fouls, a silly unsportsmanlike conduct when kick coverage player Zion Elee was caught shoving after the whistle on a touchback and roughing the passer. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Nahzae Cox, who played for Middle Tennessee a year ago before transferring to KU, was called for a personal foul penalty that forced KU to settle for a field goal on the Jayhawks’ first drive. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026

The team also had three holding penalties (two on offense, one on defense), an offensive pass interference, a face mask call, a roughing the passer and a personal foul on defense. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

So, our kids were overly aggressive with some personal fouls. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1829, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for personal foul

• afoul
• wildfowl
• foule
• fowl
• growl
• howl
• jowl
• owl
• prowl
• scowl
• waterfowl