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
Relevance
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
There is nothing to suggest foul play is involved in their disappearance, police told CNN.
—
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 28 July 2025
The investigation remains ongoing but troopers don’t suspect foul play.
—Paloma Chavez, Miami Herald, 18 July 2025
While an investigation into the incident is ongoing, investigators told WSYR that there were no signs of foul play.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 17 July 2025
The Adams County Coroner has confirmed there are no signs of foul play.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 28 July 2025
The investigation remains ongoing but troopers don’t suspect foul play.
—Paloma Chavez, Miami Herald, 18 July 2025
While an investigation into the incident is ongoing, investigators told WSYR that there were no signs of foul play.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 17 July 2025
The Adams County Coroner has confirmed there are no signs of foul play.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul play
Noun
-
The Vice Lords is a gang whose members have been involved in murder, drug trafficking and other violent crime, according to the US Justice Department.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Rates in murder and non-negligent manslaughter saw the biggest drop among the four categories, and is the lowest rate in nine years.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The children died in June 2023 in what prosecutors described as an eruption of violence motivated by fear of losing them to their father, Nathan John, according to the BBC, who survived the attack.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
At certain times, such conspiratorial thinking and refusal to accept the evidence will become dangerous—people will spin up fantasies that result in acts of defamation or threats of violence.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Cincinnati's homicide and shooting incident rates are currently higher than those of New York City and Chicago.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
5 Aug. 2025
-
The Yogurt Shop Murders is a new HBO documentary about the unsolved 1991 homicide of four teenage girls in Austin.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Dehydration can cause blood pressure to drop by reducing blood volume.—
Ayesha Gulzar,
Verywell Health,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Having too much glucose in your blood for an extended period of time can lead to insulin resistance, when your cells stop responding to insulin.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
Health,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The violence of the narcos — the killings and kidnappings and disappearances — was remote from Miguel, as were the men celebrated in the narco corridos.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Flores said police collected cellphone tower data that showed Taylor and Rhodes' phones were in the same vicinity at the time of the killing.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul%20play. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share