1
as in to stain
to make dirty
unsightly mud and slush befouls the family car every winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to pollute
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
the enemy had befouled the water in all of the area's wells with animal carcasses
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of befoul
Human attention is presented as an endangered public resource, befouled by the attention economy, tech companies, virtual workplaces, Slack notifications.
—
Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
Hundreds of women will dress up against the cold on a gray November day to protest a pipeline that could befoul their water and will almost certainly lead to the final befouling of the planet.
—Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2022
The poison of authoritarianism is as pervasive as the cloud of sulfur dioxide that befouled the air in East Germany.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 26 Feb. 2020
Michael Kuta, 26, of the 700 block of South Addison Avenue, Villa Park, was cited for disorderly conduct – befouling property at 1:15 a.m. Nov. 28 after he was observed urinating on bushes in the 100 block of South York Street.
—Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, 6 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for befoul
Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
Hundreds of women will dress up against the cold on a gray November day to protest a pipeline that could befoul their water and will almost certainly lead to the final befouling of the planet.
—Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2022
The poison of authoritarianism is as pervasive as the cloud of sulfur dioxide that befouled the air in East Germany.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 26 Feb. 2020
Michael Kuta, 26, of the 700 block of South Addison Avenue, Villa Park, was cited for disorderly conduct – befouling property at 1:15 a.m. Nov. 28 after he was observed urinating on bushes in the 100 block of South York Street.
—Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, 6 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for befoul
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befoul
Verb
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Police found items stained by blood in garbage bags in the living room closet.—
Kathryn Kovalenko,
Twin Cities,
9 July 2025
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The most basic method for cleaning the toilet is to use a stiff-bristle toilet brush to physically scrub away any mineral buildup, biofilm, or staining.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 July 2025
Verb
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If contaminated floodwater is swallowed, or pollutes drinking water, this can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses such as stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
11 July 2025
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For decades, biologists have studied how cities affect wildlife by altering food supplies, fragmenting habitats and polluting the environment.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Some dishes don’t quite live up to their big ideas: a pot of mussels steamed with chickpeas and spicy ’nduja arrived a little on the dry side, and a Caesar salad, topped with crunchy bits of anchovy, the lettuce blackened on the grill, was blobbily overdressed.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
6 July 2025
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Detectives described bruises all over Gray's body, face, and neck along with severe swelling to her face and eyes, which were blackened.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Some were prosthetic buttocks, but others were people’s own buttocks, but in various states, like dirtied down and with partial covering.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
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Crow-Armstrong has dirtied up the White Sox in six of those games, batting .458 with eight RBIs and a homer.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
Verb
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All of that sullied what was an excellent outing to that point.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Suddenly, trustees needed to concern themselves with not only the size of a donor’s check but also whether the signature on it would end up sullying the institution’s name. Enter a new class of due-diligence companies.—
Mary Holland,
Robb Report,
1 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Their reputations were besmirched.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Dec. 2024
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Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.—
Helen Iatrou,
AFAR Media,
16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Approximately 20% of the equipment, utensils and surfaces that touch food had food debris or were soiled.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 July 2025
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During that time, Abrego was denied bathroom access and soiled himself, according to the complaint.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
3 July 2025
Verb
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And when the commercial harvest was closed, at least one federal official speculated that any further research might get curtailed, since those anglers, many of them rich and well connected, wouldn’t want scientists mucking around in what had become their territory.—
Boyce Upholt,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 June 2025
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Again, not mucking it up and people liking it, which was great.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befoul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befoul. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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