foul play

noun

Definition of foul playnext
1
as in murder
the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life the coroner ruled that there was no evidence of foul play

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in violence
the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property the suspect has a long history of foul play, and was once convicted on assault and battery charges

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of foul play No charges have been brought in connection to Wells' death, and Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said previously that his office has not found signs of foul play. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 14 July 2026 Oceanside Police Captain Nick Nunez told KNSD that officers are not suspecting foul play. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026 So far, Oceanside Police Captain Nick Nunez told the outlet nothing points to foul play in Brophy's disappearance. — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026 Referee Raphael Claus walked to the sideline monitor, watched a slow-motion replay, and sent Balogun off for serious foul play. — Oded Netzer, Fortune, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for foul play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul play
  1. murder
  2. violence
  3. homicide
  4. blood
  5. killing
Noun
  • The district attorney’s office filed charges against Greenhoward including murder, use of a deadly weapon, assault on a child causing death and child abuse resulting in death, court records show.
    — Seamus Bozeman, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • Christapher Butler and detective Summer Benton discuss details of the 1999 cold case after arresting and charging Janarra Sherrer with murder.
    — Taylor Croft, AJC.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of murder
Noun
  • Normalizing violence should, in itself, be a red line, and its resumption or threat not reduced to a throwaway remark.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • Authorities said the pair, together with co-defendant Ramon De Jesus Velasquez Martinez, used firearms and threats of violence to intimidate victims into compliance.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
Definition of violence
Noun
  • The Sheriff’s Office said homicide detectives did not suspect foul play in the death, though an investigation remained ongoing.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
  • When homicides dropped 30% and shootings by 35% in 2025, everyone from the FBI boss to the governor would answer questions about what's going on.
    — Chris Tye, CBS News, 14 July 2026
Definition of homicide
Noun
  • The American Red Cross has declared an emergency blood shortage after the supply fell 25% in June.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 16, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026
  • Butlers are kicked in the shins and told their children are ugly; a patriarch’s idiotic military decisions are venerated for their spirit; blood spilling out of a servant’s wound is more an issue for the rug.
    — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Definition of blood
Noun
  • Alleging that the killing occurred as Royal robbed Watkins, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office successfully sought from a grand jury an indictment charging Royal with capital murder.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 July 2026
  • Concerns have primarily been driven by high-profile incidents, such as the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train in 2025, or the killing of four law enforcement officers in an east Charlotte neighborhood in 2024.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 17 July 2026
Definition of killing

Browse Nearby Words

foulness
foul play
fouls
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul%20play. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on foul play

Nglish: Translation of foul play for Spanish Speakers

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