personal foul
noun
: 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
College rules, for instance, stipulate that an offensive personal foul is recorded as a team foul.
—
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2025
Sacramento’s frustration started to show midway through the third quarter when Fox was whistled for two personal fouls and a technical foul in a span of five seconds.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 31 Dec. 2024
No points docked for committing 25 personal fouls and sending Oklahoma to the free-throw line a staggering 27 times.
—Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025
With slow-motion instant replays, determining a catch or a player’s intention for a personal foul can actually be distorted by low-speed replay, since humans aren’t adept at adjusting to shifting replay speeds.
—Arthur Daemmrich, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for personal foul
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2025
Sacramento’s frustration started to show midway through the third quarter when Fox was whistled for two personal fouls and a technical foul in a span of five seconds.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 31 Dec. 2024
No points docked for committing 25 personal fouls and sending Oklahoma to the free-throw line a staggering 27 times.
—Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025
With slow-motion instant replays, determining a catch or a player’s intention for a personal foul can actually be distorted by low-speed replay, since humans aren’t adept at adjusting to shifting replay speeds.
—Arthur Daemmrich, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for personal foul
Cite this Entry
“Personal foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20foul. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share