adjective
1.
grossly offensive to the senses; disgustingly loathsome; noisome: a foul smell.
2.
containing or characterized by offensive or noisome matter: foul air; foul stagnant water.
3.
filthy or dirty, as places, receptacles, clothes, etc.
4.
muddy, as a road.
5.
clogged or obstructed with foreign matter: a foul gas jet.
6.
unfavorable or stormy: foul weather.
7.
contrary, violent, or unfavorable, as the wind.
8.
grossly offensive in a moral sense.
9.
abominable, wicked, or vile, as deeds, crime, slander, etc.
10.
scurrilous, profane, or obscene; offensive: foul language.
11.
contrary to the rules or established usages, as of a sport or game; unfair: a foul blow.
12.
Baseball. pertaining to a foul ball or a foul line.
13.
limited in freedom of movement by obstruction, entanglement, etc.: a foul anchor.
14.
abounding in errors or in marks of correction, as a printer's proof, manuscript, or the like.
15.
Nautical.
a.
(of the underwater portion of a hull) encrusted and impeded with barnacles, seaweed, etc.
b.
(of a mooring place) involving inconveniences and dangers, as of colliding with vessels or other objects when swinging with the tide.
c.
(of the bottom of a body of water) affording a poor hold for an anchor ( opposed to clean ).
16.
North England and Scot. not fair; ugly or unattractive.
17.
Obsolete, disfigured.
adverb
18.
in a foul manner; vilely; unfairly.
19.
Baseball. into foul territory; so as to be foul: It looked like a homer when he hit it, but it went foul.
00:10
Foul
is one of our favorite verbs.
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| to spend time idly; loaf. |
noun
20.
something that is foul.
21.
a collision or entanglement: a foul between two racing sculls.
22.
a violation of the rules of a sport or game: The referee called it a foul.
23.
Baseball. foul ball.
verb (used with object)
24.
to make foul; defile; soil.
25.
to clog or obstruct, as a chimney or the bore of a gun.
26.
to collide with.
27.
to cause to become entangled or caught, as a rope.
28.
to defile; dishonor; disgrace: His reputation had been fouled by unfounded accusations.
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases 31.
to become foul.
32.
Nautical. to come into collision, as two boats.
33.
to become entangled or clogged: The rope fouled.
34.
Sports. to make a foul play; give a foul blow.
35.
Baseball. to hit a foul ball.
36.
foul out,
a.
Baseball. to be put out by hitting a foul ball caught on the fly by a player on the opposing team.
b.
Basketball. to be expelled from a game for having committed more fouls than is allowed.
37.
Idioms foul up, Informal. to cause confusion or disorder; bungle; spoil.
38.
fall foul/afoul of,
a.
to collide with, as ships.
b.
to come into conflict with; quarrel.
c.
to make an attack; assault.
39.
foul one's nest, to dishonor one's own home, family, or the like.
40.
run foul/afoul of, to come into collision or controversy with: to run foul of the press.
Origin:
before 900; (adj. and noun) Middle English ful, foul, Old English fūl; cognate with Gothic fuls, Old Norse fūll, Old High German fūl; akin to Latin pūs pus, pūtēre to stink, Greek pýon pus; (adv.) Middle English fule, foule, derivative of the adj.; (v.) Middle English fulen, derivative of the adj.
before 900; (adj. and noun) Middle English ful, foul, Old English fūl; cognate with Gothic fuls, Old Norse fūll, Old High German fūl; akin to Latin pūs pus, pūtēre to stink, Greek pýon pus; (adv.) Middle English fule, foule, derivative of the adj.; (v.) Middle English fulen, derivative of the adj.
Related forms
foul·ly, adverb
o·ver·foul, adjective
o·ver·foul·ly, adverb
o·ver·foul·ness, noun
un·foul, adjective
Synonyms
1. repulsive, repellent. 2. fetid, putrid, stinking. 3. unclean, polluted, sullied, soiled, stained, tainted, impure. See dirty. 6. rainy, tempestuous. 7. adverse. 9. base, shameful, infamous. 10. smutty, vulgar, coarse, low. 24. sully, stain, dirty, besmirch, taint, pollute. 28. shame.
1. repulsive, repellent. 2. fetid, putrid, stinking. 3. unclean, polluted, sullied, soiled, stained, tainted, impure. See dirty. 6. rainy, tempestuous. 7. adverse. 9. base, shameful, infamous. 10. smutty, vulgar, coarse, low. 24. sully, stain, dirty, besmirch, taint, pollute. 28. shame.
Antonyms
1. pleasant. 3, 24. clean. 5, 6. clear.
1. pleasant. 3, 24. clean. 5, 6. clear.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To foul
Collins
World English Dictionary
foul (faʊl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | offensive to the senses; revolting |
| 2. | offensive in odour; stinking |
| 3. | charged with or full of dirt or offensive matter; filthy |
| 4. | (of food) putrid; rotten |
| 5. | morally or spiritually offensive; wicked; vile |
| 6. | obscene; vulgar: foul language |
| 7. | not in accordance with accepted standards or established rules; unfair: to resort to foul means |
| 8. | (esp of weather) unpleasant or adverse |
| 9. | blocked or obstructed with dirt or foreign matter: a foul drain |
| 10. | entangled or impeded: a foul anchor |
| 11. | (of the bottom of a vessel) covered with barnacles and other growth that slow forward motion |
| 12. | informal unsatisfactory or uninteresting; bad: a foul book |
| 13. | archaic ugly |
| —n | |
| 14. | sport |
| a. a violation of the rules | |
| b. (as modifier): a foul shot; a foul blow | |
| 15. | something foul |
| 16. | an entanglement or collision, esp in sailing or fishing |
| —vb | |
| 17. | to make or become dirty or polluted |
| 18. | to become or cause to become entangled or snarled |
| 19. | (tr) to disgrace or dishonour |
| 20. | to become or cause to become clogged or choked |
| 21. | (tr) nautical (of underwater growth) to cling to (the bottom of a vessel) so as to slow its motion |
| 22. | (tr) sport to commit a foul against (an opponent) |
| 23. | (tr) baseball to hit (a ball) in an illegal manner |
| 24. | (intr) sport to infringe the rules |
| 25. | (tr) (of an animal, especially a dog) to defecate on: do not let your dog foul the footpath |
| 26. | to collide with (a boat, etc) |
| —adv | |
| 27. | in a foul or unfair manner |
| 28. | fall foul of |
| a. to come into conflict with | |
| b. nautical to come into collision with | |
| [Old English fūl; related to Old Norse fūll, Gothic fūls smelling offensively, Latin pūs | |
| 'foully | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
foul
O.E. ful "dirty, stinking, vile, corrupt," from P.Gmc. *fulaz (cf. O.H.G. fül, M.Du. voul, Ger. faul, Goth. füls), from base *fu-, corresponding to PIE *pu-, perhaps from the sound made in reaction to smelling something bad (cf. Skt. puyati "rots, stinks," putih "foul, rotten;" Gk. puon "discharge
from a sore;" L. pus "putrid matter," putere "to stink," putridus "rotten;" Lith. puviu "to rot"). Of weather, first recorded late 14c. In the sporting sense of "irregular, unfair" it is first attested 1797, though foul play is recorded from mid-15c. O.E. ful occasionally meant "ugly" (as contrasted with fæger (adj.), modern fair), a sense frequently found in M.E., and the cognate in Swed. is the usual word for "ugly." Foulmouthed first attested 1590s in Shakespeare. Foulmart was a M.E. word for "polecat" (from O.E. mearð "marten"). As a verb, it is from O.E. fulian. Related: Fouled; fouling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences from the web
He emitted a foul odor from his tail and mouth that would stick on his victims.
An example of his persistency was seen in the case of foul play.
Neither was any evidence of foul play found in the wreckage of the aircraft.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
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