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

Evans went 2-for-2 shooting from the foul line, the only trip the Ducks made to the line the entire game. —CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026

Andrew McKeever shot 6 of 9 from the field and 3 for 6 from the foul line to also score 15 points. —ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026

Think of it like a foul line in bowling, except the consequences play out in real time. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026

The Longhorns’ 23-of-34 performance from the foul line helped keep the Tigers alive. —Dallas Morning News, 17 Feb. 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
• byline
• canine

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)