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 Heat backup center Kevin Love contributed 16 points on 2-of-3 shooting from three-point range and 10-of-10 shooting from the foul line, seven rebounds and one assist in 12 minutes off the bench. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2024 Lorenzo Solares knocked in Mullin on an RBI double that rolled along the left field foul line. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024 Kyles singled and Phelps walked before Brunetti lined a single that landed on the right-field foul line to score Kyles. Jim Lindgren, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024 Jimmy Butler finished with a game-high 22 points for the Heat with the help of 8-of-8 shooting from the foul line. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024 The fences were 20 feet high and 325 feet down the left- and right-field foul lines. Joe Davidson, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024 Cousy scores 30 of his points from the foul line. 1959 — California edges West Virginia 71-70 for the NCAA basketball championship. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Not a team that usually excels by getting to the foul line, the Nuggets attempted 18 free throws in the half, nearly reaching their per-game average (19.9) for the season. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 17 Mar. 2024 One of the Warriors’ biggest weaknesses defensively is sending too many opponents to the foul line. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foul line.' 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

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foul line was in 1868

Dictionary Entries Near foul line

Cite this Entry

“Foul line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foul%20line. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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