1
a
: offensive to the senses : loathsome
the foul odor of rotten eggs
b
: filled or covered with offensive matter
foul bins of filth
2
: being odorous and impure : polluted
foul air
3
a
: morally or spiritually odious : detestable
a foul crime
5
a
: being wet and stormy
foul weather
b
: obstructive to navigation
a foul tide
6
a
: treacherous, dishonorable
fair means or foul
b
: constituting an infringement (see infringe sense 1) of rules in a game or sport
a foul blow in boxing
7
: being outside the foul lines in baseball
… a foul fly that was snagged by a fan in the stands.—
E. M. Swift
E. M. Swift8
: containing marked-up corrections
a foul manuscript
foul proofs
9
: full of dirt or mud
10
: encrusted, clogged, or choked with a foreign substance
the chimney was foul and smoked badly
11
: placed in a situation that impedes physical movement : entangled
a foul fishing line
foulness
noun
1
a
: an infringement of the rules in a game or sport
b
2
3
: an entanglement or collision especially in angling or sailing
4
archaic
: something foul
fouled; fouling; fouls
1
3
: to commit a foul against
4
: to hit (a baseball) foul
1
: to commit a violation of the rules in a sport or game
2
: to hit a foul ball
: in a foul manner : so as to be foul
Synonyms
Examples of foul in a Sentence
Adjective
the foul odor of rotten eggs
The medicine left a foul taste in my mouth.
The weather has been foul all week.
Noun
He hit several fouls in a row.
Verb
pollutants that foul the air
She fouled on her first long jump attempt.
He was fouled as he attempted the shot.
He kept fouling pitches into the stands.
See More
Recent Examples on the WebDominique Fluker, Essence, 6 Oct. 2023
Their coronavirus infections had cleared up, but the patients were met with a grim reality: Scents that were once pleasant had suddenly become foul.
—Aria Bendix, NBC News, 20 Nov. 2023
These sounded foul, but everyone, they had been assured, loved them.
—Emma Cline, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
Nelson Cruz keeps it fair, helps put away Tigers
Orioles fans erupt in the sixth inning as a fly ball by Nelson Cruz hugs the right field foul pole and lands in the first row of the stands in Detroit for a two-run home run.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2023
The pair own Return to Nature Funeral Home in the small town of Penrose, where an investigation was launched early October, when the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a foul odor coming from the facility, authorities said.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
An investigation was launched in October when the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a foul odor coming from the funeral home's facility in Penrose.
—Pilar Arias, Fox News, 8 Nov. 2023
These easy at-home tricks might get the smell out of your shoes and prevent foul odors.
—Dwyer Frame, Health, 31 Oct. 2023
Dave the Diver on Switch - October 26th Ghostrunner 2 - October 26th
Alan Wake 2 - October 27th
Thirteen years after the first game’s launch, Alan Wake is back to solve murders most foul.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 29 Sep. 2023
Craig Clary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
Teams will reach the bonus when their opponent commits five fouls in each quarter and team fouls will reset at the end of each quarter.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
Good: After struggling to get to the line against Arizona State, SDSU drew 26 fouls and attempted 32 free throws.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Oct. 2023
Rabid fans of both clubs were treated to a rough-and-tumble 90 minutes marked by seven yellow cards and 26 fouls.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas News, 30 July 2023
Plus, the non-slip bottom helps prevent any party foul.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2023
Blackburn was flagged for pass interference and nickel back Ayden Hector was assessed a foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.
—Julianne McShane, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2023
During a game between the Nuggets and the Heat, Markieff Morris committed a hard foul on Nikola.
—Jacklyn Krol, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
After the Lakers’ overtime loss, Lewis told a pool reporter that a foul should have been called on Tatum at the end of regulation.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
Carlton Reid, WIRED, 14 Oct. 2023
As George rose up for a three-pointer, Reddish fouled the forward with 17 seconds left in the fourth.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
The discrepancy could indicate that scientists are missing something, such as the presence of a unique particle or field that could be fouling some of the measurements.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
Seven minutes later, Australia got a penalty kick when Romo fouled Riley McGree inside the box.
—Abraham Nudelstejer, Dallas News, 10 Sep. 2023
Carvajal did not issue a yellow card until the 92nd minute, when Katrina Gorry fouled Karchaoui.
—Frank Dell'apa, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023
One downside, however, is that those wire arms can also foul your surf fishing rig more easily than a pyramid sinker.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 26 Oct. 2023
In a game against the Padres on July 4, Trout fractured his left hamate bone and Rendon fouled a pitch so hard off his shin that his tibia fractured (a diagnosis not revealed to members of the media until September).
—Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023
Carpenter’s free pass was especially suspenseful, as the lefty fouled off three straight sinkers before Peralta missed low and away on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to load the bases.
—Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 7 Sep. 2023
Dan Morse, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2023
Miller got a couple assists in the next at-bat, when Tigers slugger Spencer Torkelson first pulled a potential grand slam just foul, then hit a line drive in the gap that was snared by center fielder James Outman with a spectacular, diving catch.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
However, musical genres such as reggaeton, popularized by artists such as Bad Bunny, could fall foul, after drawing criticism in some quarters for explicit and sexist lyrics.
—Jack Guy, CNN, 2 Aug. 2023
Josef Martinez cut the deficit with a penalty kick in the 84th minute, after an Andrew Farrell foul attempting a clearance.
—Frank Dell'apa, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2023
His grand slam off Gavin Guidry in the third was a high fly that looked to be headed foul, but the 20-mph wind blowing left to right pushed it inside the left-field foul pole.
—Eric Olson, ajc, 26 June 2023
Yet even with both starters firing strikes — not a walk between them — they were gone after six innings, the hitters lashing foul after foul and running up their pitch counts.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 15 June 2023
Here's a video of Alek Manoah trying to blow a Jeremy Peña bunt foul.
—Ian Harrison, BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2023
Shaquille O’Neal is calling foul on the lawyers who chased him for months to serve a lawsuit accusing the basketball legend of duping investors in FTX crypto exchange.
—Joel Rosenblatt, Fortune, 9 May 2023
See More
Adjective
Symptoms may include vaginal irritation, thin grayish discharge, and a fishy or foul odor.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 6 Oct. 2023
Their coronavirus infections had cleared up, but the patients were met with a grim reality: Scents that were once pleasant had suddenly become foul.
—Aria Bendix, NBC News, 20 Nov. 2023
These sounded foul, but everyone, they had been assured, loved them.
—Emma Cline, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
Nelson Cruz keeps it fair, helps put away Tigers
Orioles fans erupt in the sixth inning as a fly ball by Nelson Cruz hugs the right field foul pole and lands in the first row of the stands in Detroit for a two-run home run.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2023
The pair own Return to Nature Funeral Home in the small town of Penrose, where an investigation was launched early October, when the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a foul odor coming from the facility, authorities said.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
An investigation was launched in October when the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a foul odor coming from the funeral home's facility in Penrose.
—Pilar Arias, Fox News, 8 Nov. 2023
These easy at-home tricks might get the smell out of your shoes and prevent foul odors.
—Dwyer Frame, Health, 31 Oct. 2023
Dave the Diver on Switch - October 26th Ghostrunner 2 - October 26th
Alan Wake 2 - October 27th
Thirteen years after the first game’s launch, Alan Wake is back to solve murders most foul.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 29 Sep. 2023
Noun
Laurel picked up intensity in the second half and drew three fouls just outside the box, but shots by Christopher Duran-Escobar and Ramirez-Quincin were off the mark.
—Craig Clary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
Teams will reach the bonus when their opponent commits five fouls in each quarter and team fouls will reset at the end of each quarter.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
Good: After struggling to get to the line against Arizona State, SDSU drew 26 fouls and attempted 32 free throws.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Oct. 2023
Rabid fans of both clubs were treated to a rough-and-tumble 90 minutes marked by seven yellow cards and 26 fouls.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas News, 30 July 2023
Plus, the non-slip bottom helps prevent any party foul.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2023
Blackburn was flagged for pass interference and nickel back Ayden Hector was assessed a foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.
—Julianne McShane, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2023
During a game between the Nuggets and the Heat, Markieff Morris committed a hard foul on Nikola.
—Jacklyn Krol, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
After the Lakers’ overtime loss, Lewis told a pool reporter that a foul should have been called on Tatum at the end of regulation.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
Verb
But as this was still the ICE age, the mass adoption of car use fouled the air.
—Carlton Reid, WIRED, 14 Oct. 2023
As George rose up for a three-pointer, Reddish fouled the forward with 17 seconds left in the fourth.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
The discrepancy could indicate that scientists are missing something, such as the presence of a unique particle or field that could be fouling some of the measurements.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
Seven minutes later, Australia got a penalty kick when Romo fouled Riley McGree inside the box.
—Abraham Nudelstejer, Dallas News, 10 Sep. 2023
Carvajal did not issue a yellow card until the 92nd minute, when Katrina Gorry fouled Karchaoui.
—Frank Dell'apa, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023
One downside, however, is that those wire arms can also foul your surf fishing rig more easily than a pyramid sinker.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 26 Oct. 2023
In a game against the Padres on July 4, Trout fractured his left hamate bone and Rendon fouled a pitch so hard off his shin that his tibia fractured (a diagnosis not revealed to members of the media until September).
—Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023
Carpenter’s free pass was especially suspenseful, as the lefty fouled off three straight sinkers before Peralta missed low and away on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to load the bases.
—Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 7 Sep. 2023
Adverb
Felsen called foul, arguing in court papers that the term went beyond prosecutors’ request for enough time to complete the youth program.
—Dan Morse, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2023
Miller got a couple assists in the next at-bat, when Tigers slugger Spencer Torkelson first pulled a potential grand slam just foul, then hit a line drive in the gap that was snared by center fielder James Outman with a spectacular, diving catch.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
However, musical genres such as reggaeton, popularized by artists such as Bad Bunny, could fall foul, after drawing criticism in some quarters for explicit and sexist lyrics.
—Jack Guy, CNN, 2 Aug. 2023
Josef Martinez cut the deficit with a penalty kick in the 84th minute, after an Andrew Farrell foul attempting a clearance.
—Frank Dell'apa, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2023
His grand slam off Gavin Guidry in the third was a high fly that looked to be headed foul, but the 20-mph wind blowing left to right pushed it inside the left-field foul pole.
—Eric Olson, ajc, 26 June 2023
Yet even with both starters firing strikes — not a walk between them — they were gone after six innings, the hitters lashing foul after foul and running up their pitch counts.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 15 June 2023
Here's a video of Alek Manoah trying to blow a Jeremy Peña bunt foul.
—Ian Harrison, BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2023
Shaquille O’Neal is calling foul on the lawyers who chased him for months to serve a lawsuit accusing the basketball legend of duping investors in FTX crypto exchange.
—Joel Rosenblatt, Fortune, 9 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Middle English, from Old English fūl; akin to Old High German fūl rotten, Latin pus pus, putēre to stink, Greek pyon pus
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Adverb
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of foul was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing foul
Dictionary Entries Near foul
Cite this Entry
“Foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foul. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
foul
1 of 4 adjective1
a
: disgusting in looks, taste, or smell
foul odor
b
: full of or covered with dirt
foul clothes
2
a
: detestable
a foul crime
b
: notably unpleasant or bad
a foul mood
c
: being vulgar or insulting
foul language
3
: being wet and stormy
foul weather
4
a
: very unfair
fair means or foul
b
: breaking a rule in a game or sport
a foul blow in boxing
5
: being outside the foul lines in baseball
a foul grounder
foulness
noun
ˈfau̇(ə)l-nəs
foul
2 of 4 noun1
: an entanglement or collision in fishing or sailing
2
a
: a breaking of the rules in a game or sport
b
3
foul
3 of 4 verb1
: to make or become foul or filthy
foul the air
foul a stream
2
a
: to make a foul in a game or sport
b
: to hit a foul ball
3
: to become or cause to become entangled
foul the lines
foul
4 of 4 adverb
: in a foul manner : so as to be foul
More from Merriam-Webster on foul
Nglish: Translation of foul for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of foul for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about foul
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