foul
grossly offensive to the senses; disgustingly loathsome; noisome: a foul smell.
containing or characterized by offensive or noisome matter: foul air; foul stagnant water.
filthy or dirty, as places, receptacles, clothes, etc.
muddy, as a road.
clogged or obstructed with foreign matter: a foul gas jet.
unfavorable or stormy: foul weather.
contrary, violent, or unfavorable, as the wind.
grossly offensive in a moral sense.
abominable, wicked, or vile, as deeds, crime, slander, etc.
scurrilous, profane, or obscene; offensive: foul language.
contrary to the rules or established usages, as of a sport or game; unfair: a foul blow.
Baseball. pertaining to a foul ball or a foul line.
limited in freedom of movement by obstruction, entanglement, etc.: a foul anchor.
abounding in errors or in marks of correction, as a printer's proof, manuscript, or the like.
Nautical.
(of the underwater portion of a hull) encrusted and impeded with barnacles, seaweed, etc.
(of a mooring place) involving inconveniences and dangers, as of colliding with vessels or other objects when swinging with the tide.
(of the bottom of a body of water) affording a poor hold for an anchor (opposed to clean).
North England and Scot.. not fair; ugly or unattractive.
Obsolete. disfigured.
in a foul manner; vilely; unfairly.
Baseball. into foul territory; so as to be foul: It looked like a homer when he hit it, but it went foul.
something that is foul.
a collision or entanglement: a foul between two racing sculls.
a violation of the rules of a sport or game: The referee called it a foul.
Baseball. foul ball.
to make foul; defile; soil.
to clog or obstruct, as a chimney or the bore of a gun.
to collide with.
to cause to become entangled or caught, as a rope.
to defile; dishonor; disgrace: His reputation had been fouled by unfounded accusations.
Nautical. (of barnacles, seaweed, etc.) to cling to (a hull) so as to encumber.
Baseball. to hit (a pitched ball) foul (often followed by off or away): He fouled off two curves before being struck out on a fastball.
to become foul.
Nautical. to come into collision, as two boats.
to become entangled or clogged: The rope fouled.
Sports. to make a foul play; give a foul blow.
Baseball. to hit a foul ball.
foul out,
Baseball. to be put out by hitting a foul ball caught on the fly by a player on the opposing team.
Basketball. to be expelled from a game for having committed more fouls than is allowed.
foul up, Informal. to cause confusion or disorder; bungle; spoil.
Idioms about foul
fall foul / afoul of,
to collide with, as ships.
to come into conflict with; quarrel.
to make an attack; assault.
foul one's nest, to dishonor one's own home, family, or the like.
run foul / afoul of, to come into collision or controversy with: to run foul of the press.
Origin of foul
1synonym study For foul
Other words for foul
Opposites for foul
1 | pleasant |
3, 24 | clean |
5, 6 | clear |
Other words from foul
- foully, adverb
- o·ver·foul, adjective
- o·ver·foul·ly, adverb
- o·ver·foul·ness, noun
- un·foul, adjective
- un·foul·ly, adverb
- un·fouled, adjective
Words that may be confused with foul
- foul , fowl
Words Nearby foul
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use foul in a sentence
Father Joel Román Salazar died in a car crash in 2013; his death was ruled an accident, but the suspicion of foul play persists.
Malcolm Tucker, a foul-mouthed political advisor, was the role that turned Capaldi into a household name in Britain.
Doctor Who: It’s Time For a Black, Asian, or Woman Doctor | Nico Hines | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTfoul-mouthed chauvinist who flirted with chicks in a hot tub or celebrity-friendly sociopolitical satirist?
Canada’s Subversive Sock Puppet: Ed the Sock Isn’t Afraid to Say Anything | Soraya Roberts | November 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPlaying the foul-mouthed bad character will become as predictable and counter-intuitive as a playing a thousand Joeys.
How Can Katie Holmes Escape Tom Cruise—and ‘Dawson’s Creek’? | Tim Teeman | October 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMiller took particular exception to a post in which Kelley had worried she might fall victim to foul play.
The Mystery Woman Who Tried to Outdo Dillinger | Michael Daly | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Two years later this promising recruit, having fallen foul of the military authorities, had to leave the service under a cloud.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonBut I have some more foul way to trot through still, in your Epistles and Satyrs, &c.
A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope | Colley CibberAfter he was securely bound he was forced to stand while the two, with foul epithets, hung the body of the corporal over the road.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnWithout warning, we found ourselves foul of a picket-line, and the vague forms of grazing horses loomed close by.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairBut it was strongly rumoured that there had been foul play, peculation, even forgery.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
British Dictionary definitions for foul
/ (faʊl) /
offensive to the senses; revolting
offensive in odour; stinking
charged with or full of dirt or offensive matter; filthy
(of food) putrid; rotten
morally or spiritually offensive; wicked; vile
obscene; vulgar: foul language
not in accordance with accepted standards or established rules; unfair: to resort to foul means
(esp of weather) unpleasant or adverse
blocked or obstructed with dirt or foreign matter: a foul drain
entangled or impeded: a foul anchor
(of the bottom of a vessel) covered with barnacles and other growth that slow forward motion
informal unsatisfactory or uninteresting; bad: a foul book
archaic ugly
sport
a violation of the rules
(as modifier): a foul shot; a foul blow
something foul
an entanglement or collision, esp in sailing or fishing
to make or become dirty or polluted
to become or cause to become entangled or snarled
(tr) to disgrace or dishonour
to become or cause to become clogged or choked
(tr) nautical (of underwater growth) to cling to (the bottom of a vessel) so as to slow its motion
(tr) sport to commit a foul against (an opponent)
(tr) baseball to hit (a ball) in an illegal manner
(intr) sport to infringe the rules
(tr) (of an animal, especially a dog) to defecate on: do not let your dog foul the footpath
to collide with (a boat, etc)
in a foul or unfair manner
fall foul of
to come into conflict with
nautical to come into collision with
Origin of foul
1- See also foul up
Derived forms of foul
- foully, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with foul
In addition to the idioms beginning with foul
- foul one's nest
- foul play
- foul up
also see:
- run afoul of
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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