foul line

noun

1

: either of two straight lines extending from the rear corner of home plate through the outer corners of first and third base respectively and prolonged to the boundary of a baseball field

2

: a line across a bowling alley that a player must not step over when delivering the ball

3

: either of two lines on a basketball court parallel to and 15 feet from the backboards behind which a player must stand while shooting a free throw

Examples of foul line in a Sentence

The ball landed just inside the right-field foul line.

Recent Examples on the Web

His nose for the foul line is second to none in this draft class with his polished footwork and gathers. — Josh Robbins, New York Times, 25 June 2026

Others always put on their equipment in the same order or avoid stepping on the foul line. — Adam Annaccone, The Conversation, 22 June 2026

Breanna Stewart had made one of two from the foul line with just under 9 seconds left to give New York a two-point lead. — ABC News, 21 June 2026

Al Bello—Getty Images Hart caught a break when Wemby, usually so silky at the foul line, missed a pair. — Sean Gregory, Time, 14 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for foul line

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline

Kids Definition

foul line

noun

1

: either of two straight lines running from the rear corner of home plate through first and third base on to the boundary of a baseball field

2

: a line across which a player must not step (as when bowling or shooting a free throw)