foul play

noun

: violence
especially : murder

Examples of foul play in a Sentence

There is no evidence of foul play. the coroner ruled that there was no evidence of foul play
Recent Examples on the Web At the time, authorities said there was no indication of foul play. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2024 The investigation was ongoing, though officials said there were no signs of foul play as of Wednesday morning. Lauren De Young, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024 Despite accusations of foul play, the 84-year-old’s cause of death was congestive heart failure. Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 2 Oct. 2024 The Clark County coroner will investigate the cause of death, there are no signs of foul play, per ABC News. Charna Flam, People.com, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for foul play 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foul play.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1546, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foul play was in 1546

Dictionary Entries Near foul play

Cite this Entry

“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foul%20play. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

foul play

noun
: unfair dealing : dishonest conduct
especially : violence sense 1
a victim of foul play

More from Merriam-Webster on foul play

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!