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
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Recent Examples of foul play
Bartlett would not provide additional details or comment on whether his department believes foul play is involved in Robert’s disappearance.
—
Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
Police never found evidence of foul play, and Joyce is still posting on social media today.
—Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
The person appeared to have accidentally drowned, a police spokesperson said, and no foul play is suspected.
—Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
Greek police said Eden’s death appeared to be a suicide, and foul play was not suspected.
—Joseph Wilkinson, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
Police never found evidence of foul play, and Joyce is still posting on social media today.
—Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
The person appeared to have accidentally drowned, a police spokesperson said, and no foul play is suspected.
—Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
Greek police said Eden’s death appeared to be a suicide, and foul play was not suspected.
—Joseph Wilkinson, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul play
Noun
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Caleb Flynn, 39, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of murder, assault and tampering with evidence.—
Sudhin Thanawala,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Powell is accused of first-degree murder with a firearm and is being held without bond, according to Broward County jail records.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those who still come — fleeing violence or persecution — could still apply for asylum as the law intends.—
Federico Peña,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
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French sociologists tracking militant political violence say the vast majority of incidents in recent decades have been caused by far-right and neo-Nazi groups.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Denver saw one of the highest drops in homicide rates in the nation.—
Gabe Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
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Paul Vernon, who oversaw homicide probes, said the style of carry may be familiar to some at a gun range, and investigators will be pursuing the carry method as a signature part of the man’s behavior.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Beyond stellar evolution, the computational techniques developed for the study could help researchers model complex flows in oceans, atmospheres, and even blood circulation.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
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Before 2017, the blood in period advertising was blue.—
Ralph Jones,
HubSpot,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The treatment of many Minnesota residents by ICE and CBP agents, which resulted in, among other things, the very public killing of Good and Alex Pretti, both US citizens – has been roundly criticized.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
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Many American tourists visiting Mexico are stuck in the country after the killing of a drug cartel leader over the weekend.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul%20play. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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