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come afoul of

 - 2 dictionary results

a⋅foul

  [uh-foul]
Use come afoul of in a Sentence
–adverb, adjective
1. in a state of collision or entanglement: a ship with its shrouds afoul.
—Idiom
2. run or come or fall afoul of,
a. to become entangled with: The boat ran afoul of the seaweed.
b. to come into conflict with: The business had fallen afoul of the new government regulations.
Origin:
1800–10, Americanism; a- 1 + foul
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To come afoul of
Word Origin & History

afoul 
"entangled," 1809, originally nautical, now mainly in phrase to run afoul of; from a- (1) + foul.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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