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
Glew told the outlet that police did not suspect foul play in connection with her disappearance.
—
Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Officials say an autopsy will also determine if Martin’s death was a result of foul play, as investigators already suspect, the outlet reported.
—Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2025
The failures documented by ProPublica left parents without answers in their baby’s sudden death and let clues vanish in the death of a woman whose family suspected foul play by her husband, a man later charged with killing his next wife.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 26 Aug. 2025
Police spokesperson Haley Williams told the Statesman that police found no evidence of foul play.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Officials say an autopsy will also determine if Martin’s death was a result of foul play, as investigators already suspect, the outlet reported.
—Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2025
The failures documented by ProPublica left parents without answers in their baby’s sudden death and let clues vanish in the death of a woman whose family suspected foul play by her husband, a man later charged with killing his next wife.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 26 Aug. 2025
Police spokesperson Haley Williams told the Statesman that police found no evidence of foul play.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul play
Noun
-
The original wording suggesting that Soliman faced murder charges in Iraq had been included in the government’s successful argument for keeping him in custody.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
An argument over a wristwatch led to the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Dallas mother at Malibu Jack’s amusement park in North Richland Hills, according to new details of the murder investigation released on Tuesday.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
More than a dozen people faced criminal charges stemming from a melee after a rally in Soliman’s support; demonstrators and police blame each other for the violence July 17.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Experts have cautioned against tying mental health to acts of gun violence, and told ABC News that the narrative that people with mental illness are more violent than their peers is false; the majority of people who commit violence do not have a history of mental illness.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Johnson’s dishonesty doesn’t even take into consideration the carnage from the homicides of yesteryear in the Windy City.—
Christopher Tremoglie,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
-
He was convicted in October 2022 on six counts first-degree intentional homicide, 61 counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, six counts of hit and run involving death and two counts of bail jumping, all felonies, plus one count of misdemeanor battery.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The 50-year-old Hazard resident, dressed in a black Harley Davidson T-shirt, was called to an exam room, where a health worker drew a blood sample as part of her treatment for diabetes and the neuropathic pain that accompanies it.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Insulin is necessary to escort glucose into the cells, and without insulin, glucose remains in the blood.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Johnathan Maskiell was deemed a second-degree persistent felony offender as part of his April guilty plea for murder in the killing of his cellmate at the Kenton County Detention Center.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
-
With a mission to rebuild abundant and biodiverse oceans, Oceana fights to stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, as well as the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, among other causes.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul%20play. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share