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personal foul

noun
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Definition of personal foul

: a foul in a game (such as basketball) involving usually physical contact with or deliberate roughing of an opponent — compare technical foul

Examples of personal foul in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web New York took advantage with an 18-yard catch by Griffin sandwiched by a few runs — and a personal foul on Ferrell — to put the ball at the 1. — Dennis Waszak Jr., baltimoresun.com, "Derek Carr’s 46-yard TD pass in final seconds lifts Raiders over winless Jets, 31-28," 6 Dec. 2020 Second possession, another USC personal foul penalty followed by a third-down sack. — Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Soul-crushing defeats have become the norm for once-mighty Trojans program," 19 Dec. 2020 The Seminoles had driven into the red zone on their opening drive but Dickerson pushed them back with a 15-yard personal foul penalty. — Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, "The stories behind the grit, smarts Landon Dickerson brings to Alabama," 17 Dec. 2020 On one play near the end of the first half, Jesuit was assessed two personal foul penalties and unsportsmanlike conduct, putting the ball at the Blue Jays 1. — Darrell Williams, NOLA.com, "Garrett Mmahat's touchdown run gives Brother Martin 34-32 win over Jesuit," 4 Dec. 2020 Chase Young bailed out the Lions with a personal foul on that play that helped set up Prater’s 59-yard kick, but if not for that penalty, Cephus might have woke up the goat of another Lions loss this morning. — Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions stock watch: Bob Quinn's top 2020 draft picks headed in opposite directions," 16 Nov. 2020 During the end of the CBS broadcast, Harbaugh was shown pointing to his head, perhaps indicating that the Steelers should have been called for a personal foul on the play. — Daniel Oyefusi, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens’ John Harbaugh says he received no word from officials on controversial final play vs. Steelers," 1 Nov. 2020 He got flagged for a personal foul that moved back the extra point attempt, and the try failed. — Charles Hollis, al, "Kiffin vs. Leach: An Egg Bowl worth watching (don’t forget the dog thing)," 28 Nov. 2020 Purdue's linebacker Derrick Barnes was called for a personal foul and disqualified for targeting on the touchdown drive that put Rutgers ahead 34-30. — Mark Ambrogi, Star Tribune, "Rutgers rallies to knock off Purdue 37-30 behind Langan," 28 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'personal foul.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of personal foul

circa 1829, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for personal foul

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The first known use of personal foul was circa 1829

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Statistics for personal foul

Last Updated

15 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Personal foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20foul. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for personal foul

personal foul

noun

English Language Learners Definition of personal foul

basketball : a foul that involves physical contact with an opponent

See the full definition for personal foul in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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