foul line

noun

1
: either of two straight lines extending from the rear corner of home plate through the outer corners of first and third base respectively and prolonged to the boundary of a baseball field
2
: a line across a bowling alley that a player must not step over when delivering the ball
3
: either of two lines on a basketball court parallel to and 15 feet from the backboards behind which a player must stand while shooting a free throw

Examples of foul line in a Sentence

The ball landed just inside the right-field foul line.
Recent Examples on the Web One of the Warriors’ biggest weaknesses defensively is sending too many opponents to the foul line. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 The Heat fell to 6-12 this season when outscored by its opponent at the foul line and 7-13 this season when attempting fewer free throws than its opponent. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Best known for her long 3-pointers, Clark was called on to go to the foul line after Cotie McMahon was assessed a technical for giving her a little push during a dead ball with less than a second to go in the first half. CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024 Butler set a new season-high with 37 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 shooting from the foul line to go with three rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024 Pepper’s final 3-point attempt landed short and UCI held on after going 8 for 8 from the foul line in OT. Staff and News Service Reports, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 But the home team rallied in the second half, taking advantage of a brutally rough night at the foul line by the visitors. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 Continuing to attack the basket, Mount Saint Joseph sealed the win at the foul line, making 16 of 22 for the game. Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2024 As impressive as Murray was, he was vexed at the foul line just as much as his teammates. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foul line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foul line was in 1868

Dictionary Entries Near foul line

Cite this Entry

“Foul line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foul%20line. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

foul line

noun
1
: either of two straight lines running from the rear corner of home plate through first and third base on to the boundary of a baseball field
2
: a line across which a player must not step (as when bowling or shooting a free throw)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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