foul

[ foul ]

/ faʊl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR foul ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, foul·er, foul·est.

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.

adverb

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.

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

Verb Phrases

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 for 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

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.

SYNONYMS FOR foul

1 repulsive, repellent.

2 fetid, putrid, stinking.

3 unclean, polluted, sullied, soiled, stained, tainted, impure.

6 rainy, tempestuous.

7 adverse.

9 base, shameful, infamous.

10 smutty, vulgar, coarse, low.

24 sully, stain, dirty, besmirch, taint, pollute.

28 shame.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR foul ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR foul

1 pleasant.

3, 24 clean.

5, 6 clear.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR foul ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for foul

3. See dirty.

OTHER WORDS FROM foul

foul·ly, 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

foudre, foudroyant, fouetté, fought, foujita, foul, foul ball, foul line, foul marten, foul matter, foul one's nest

Example sentences from the Web for foul

Father Joel Román Salazar died in a car crash in 2013; his death was ruled an accident, but the suspicion of foul play persists.

Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder |Jason McGahan |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Miller 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 |DAILY BEAST
She paints the current rodent situation as more than a foul inconvenience, and one that is a particular blight on poorer areas.

Crowdsourcing NYC’s War on Rats |Kevin Zawacki |June 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Shahid quietly asked her to lift a finger if foul play had been at work.

Has Malala Become a Puppet of the West? |Nico Hines |April 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The two alleged ambassadors spiced their jokes with foul language.

Just Joking? Bugged Russian Ambassadors Want to Annex Alaska and Miami |Anna Nemtsova |April 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But my ships are foul with the long passage, and are in need of a careen.

The Lost Continent |C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne
The affair, indeed, seems to have been utterly indefensible, and must ever remain a foul blot upon Spanish honor.

By Right of Conquest |G. A. Henty
We are here; and whilst this is close to you no foul thing can approach.

Dracula |Bram Stoker
But, when he asks her forgiveness, she overwhelms him with foul abuse.

Tolstoy |L. Winstanley
Our principal object is the verdict, which will remove the foul aspersion cast on my injured client, and restore him to society.

Hard Cash |Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for foul

foul

/ (faʊl) /

adjective

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

noun

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

verb

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)

adverb

in a foul or unfair manner

fall foul of

to come into conflict with
nautical to come into collision with

Derived forms of foul

foully, adverb

Word Origin for foul

Old English fūl; related to Old Norse fūll, Gothic fūls smelling offensively, Latin pūs pus, Greek puol pus

Idioms and Phrases with foul

foul

In addition to the idioms beginning with foul

foul one's nest
foul play
foul up

also see:

run afoul of

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

foul

adjective, foul·er, foul·est.

adverb

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Idioms for foul

Origin of foul

SYNONYMS FOR foul

ANTONYMS FOR foul

synonym study for foul

OTHER WORDS FROM foul

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH foul

Words nearby foul

Example sentences from the Web for foul

British Dictionary definitions for foul

adjective

noun

verb

adverb

Derived forms of foul

Word Origin for foul

Idioms and Phrases with foul

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

foul

adjective, foul·er, foul·est.

adverb

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Idioms for foul

Origin of foul

SYNONYMS FOR foul

ANTONYMS FOR foul

synonym study for foul

OTHER WORDS FROM foul

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH foul

Words nearby foul

Words related to foul

Example sentences from the Web for foul

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for foul

adjective

noun

verb

adverb

Derived forms of foul

Word Origin for foul

Idioms and Phrases with foul

British Dictionary definitions for foul