1
as in staining
to make dirty
the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluting
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
industrial pollution fouling the water supply
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in humiliating
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the minister was irreparably fouled by baseless rumors and allegations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
unless you want to smell the organic refuse as it fouls, locate the compost heap away from the house
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 fouling
Giménez battled for 11 pitches, fouling off six, in Schlittler’s final inning.
—
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 21 May 2026
The Sixers made their run by intentionally fouling Mitchell Robinson away from the ball — the classic Hack-a-Shaq technique.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Campusano sustained the fracture after fouling a ball off his foot in San Francisco.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
In the 17th minute, Bay FC defender Aldana Cometti was given a yellow card for fouling San Diego forward Ludmila in the penalty area.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
This comes four days after the the four-time All-Star came off the 10-day injured after fouling off a pitch and breaking his left big toe on April 11 in another game against the Twins.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
The main area holding Hines back was a propensity for fouling in his freshman season.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Winkler plays the town’s mayor, an excessively charming, morally questionable fellow who scrambles the town’s cops and residents to keep Ulysses from fouling everything up.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The Braves showed their offensive personality by fouling off or blooping some of Detmers’ best work and then taking advantage of the mistakes.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 21 May 2026
The Sixers made their run by intentionally fouling Mitchell Robinson away from the ball — the classic Hack-a-Shaq technique.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Campusano sustained the fracture after fouling a ball off his foot in San Francisco.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
In the 17th minute, Bay FC defender Aldana Cometti was given a yellow card for fouling San Diego forward Ludmila in the penalty area.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
This comes four days after the the four-time All-Star came off the 10-day injured after fouling off a pitch and breaking his left big toe on April 11 in another game against the Twins.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
The main area holding Hines back was a propensity for fouling in his freshman season.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Winkler plays the town’s mayor, an excessively charming, morally questionable fellow who scrambles the town’s cops and residents to keep Ulysses from fouling everything up.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The Braves showed their offensive personality by fouling off or blooping some of Detmers’ best work and then taking advantage of the mistakes.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouling
Verb
-
Use place mats or tablecloths on your kitchen table to keep food spills, condensation from drinks, and utensils from marring or staining the surface.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
And the incident was one of four mechanical problems with the LCS fleet in a year, staining the reputation of the ships’ reliability.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
As a brand built on ethical fashion on a mission to improve the industry, Everlane—and its CEO—has sold its soul to the devil by associating itself with one (if not the) most polluting fast-fashion player in the world.—
Clara Ludmir,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Engineers and safety experts are solving problems in a new technology that gets us off expensive and polluting fossil fuels.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
In her report, Soto accused Sibrian of allegedly mocking and humiliating her for her accent, immigration status and race and calling her stupid.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
-
State caseworkers have sent an untold number of elders in their care to a coterie of homes with a history of hurting, ignoring or humiliating their residents, records and anguished families say.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Photos and a video Aiello provided show bladed wire snaking around the decomposing animal’s neck and curved horns, as well as the front legs, in a desert landscape dotted with boulders.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
The park’s namesake Pinnacles are technically the remains of a decomposing Miocene volcano.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
These tungsten atoms would then condense on the slightly cooler inside of the glass bulb, blackening it and dimming the light over time.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Four people have died in California as a result of the amatoxin poisoning outbreak.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Orbán’s rule was marked by a sprawling media ecosystem, which for years served as a loyal mouthpiece for his Fidesz party while discrediting, defaming and intimidating his opponents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
My fear is that poor implementation and, above all, a failure to take accountability seriously will end up discrediting good ideas.—
Rachel Canter,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Right now, the rings furthest from the planet are disintegrating and drifting into space.—
David M. Drucker,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
-
The damage from our disintegrating democracy demands attention — and now.—
Elizabeth Keifer,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fouling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouling. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
