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foul Definition

foul (fo̵ul)

adjective

  1. so offensive to the senses as to cause disgust; stinking; loathsome a foul odor
  2. extremely dirty or impure; disgustingly filthy
  3. full of or blocked up with dirt or foreign objects a foul pipe
  4. putrid; rotten: said of food
  5. not decent; obscene; profane foul language
  6. very wicked; abominable a foul murder
  7. not clear; stormy; unfavorable foul weather, winds, etc.
  8. tangled or snarled; caught a foul rope
  9. not according to the rules of a game; unfair, by either accident or intention
  10. treacherous; dishonest
  11. Chiefly Brit., Now Dial. ugly
  12. Informal unpleasant, disagreeable, etc.
  13. Baseball of or having to do with the part of the field that lies outside the foul lines
  14. Printing containing errors or marked with changes foul copy or proof

Etymology: ME < OE ful, akin to Ger faul, rotten, lazy < IE base *pū-, *pu-, to stink (< ? exclamation of disgust) > L putere, to rot, Gr pyon, pus

adverb

  1. in a foul way
  2. Baseball in or into the part of the field that lies outside the foul lines

noun

anything foul; specif.,

  1. a collision of boats, contestants, etc.
  2. an infraction of the rules, as of a game or sport
  3. Baseball foul ball

transitive verb

  1. to make foul; dirty; soil; defile
  2. to dishonor or disgrace
  3. to impede or obstruct; specif.,
    1. to fill up; encrust; choke to foul a drain with grease
    2. to cover (the bottom of a ship) with barnacles, seaweed, etc.
    3. to entangle; catch a rope fouled in the shrouds
  4. to make a foul against in a contest or game
  5. Baseball to bat (the ball) so that it falls outside the foul lines

intransitive verb

  1. to become dirty, filthy, or rotten
  2. to be clogged or choked
  3. to become tangled
  4. to break the rules of a game
  5. Baseball to bat the ball so that it falls outside the foul lines or is caught there to foul to the third baseman

foul Related Forms
foully adverb foul·ness noun
foul Idioms

foul out

  1. Baseball to be retired as batter by the catch of a foul ball
  2. Basketball to be disqualified from further play for having committed a specified number of personal fouls

foul up

Informal to make a mess of; make disordered or confused; bungle

run foul of

or fall foul of
  1. to collide with or become entangled in
  2. to get into trouble with
foul Synonyms

foul

modif.

  1. Soiled

    dirty, unclean, filthy, impure; see dirty 1.

  2. Disgusting

    loathsome, fetid, odious; see offensive 2, rank 2.

  3. Obscene or abusive

    nasty, vulgar, coarse; see lewd 1, opprobrious 1, ribald.

  4. Unfair

    inequitable, unjust, dishonorable, vicious; see dishonest 2.

run<strong> or </strong>fall foul of

get into trouble with, encounter, come into conflict with; see fight 2, meet 6, oppose 1. See syn. study at dirty.

foul Synonyms

foul

v.

  1. To make dirty

    defile, pollute, sully, soil; see dirty.

  2. To become dirty or entangled

    soil, spot, discolor, stain, clog, jam, snarl, catch, be clogged, be choked, be tangled, be coated, be encrusted, be blocked, be filled.

foul Usage Examples

Object

  • propeller: Often the tow cable parted, fouled the propeller or the charge would prematurely explode!
  • pavement: Please visit our Dog Warden Services pages for more information regarding Dogs in the Boro What can I do about dogs fouling the pavements?
  • organism: Effects on commercial interests It is a fouling organism.
  • litter: Are you fed up with a local issue, pavements, dog fouling, litter, speeding traffic?
  • bin: The dog fouling bin is in the process of being installed on Oxford Meadow.

Converse of object

  • commit: Only Burnley having a worse record although it was just on fouls committed and not cards shown.

Preposition: on

  • keeper: Wigg did bundle the ball into the net a few minutes later, but it was disallowed for a foul on the keeper.
  • footpath: A dog has fouled on the footpath - when will it be cleaned?
  • edge: A foul on the edge of the center circle gave Barnard the chance to come forward and pump the ball into the Billericay box.

Used with adjective complement

  • fall: She seems to have fallen foul heavily of the people editing her letters.
  • cry: Faced with this growing international movement, some have cried foul.
  • smell: It's quiet and dark in the bin and it smells foul, but there's a lot of noise outside.

Modifies a noun

  • sewer: There are three options: Disposal to the foul sewer may be possible with the prior arrangement of the local sewage provider.
  • stench: The badger put his bottom right up against the nest and let out the foulest stench that I have ever smelled.
  • odor: The only drawback is the foul odor meaning the dung can only be used on tracks in uninhabited areas!
  • sewage: The disposal of foul sewage shall be by means approved by the Local Planning Authority.
  • odor: B Bactericide Additive to inhibit bacterial growth in the aqueous component of fluids, preventing foul odors.
  • smell: In a MUD, I can say, there's a foul smell of decaying flesh emanating from the east.

Preposition: of

  • law: Yet objectively speaking that was a work of art that didn't fall foul of any British law.
  • legislation: Mr Noel Graham would be running the premises and when a previous owner of the premises did not fall foul of the legislation.
foul Quotes

The little cousin is dead, by foul subtraction, A green bough fromVirginia's aged tree.

—Ransom,John Crowe

While the journalist exists merelyas the publicity agent of big business, a large circulation, got by fair means or foul, is a newspaper's one and onlyaim.

—Orwell, George pseudonym of  Eric Arthur Blair

Keep up appearances; there lies the test; The world will give thee credit for the rest. Outward be fair, however foul within; Sin if thou wilt, but then in secret sin.

—Churchill, Charles

   It is the lees left by Bismarck that still foul the cup.

—Grey of Fallodon, Edward Grey, 1st Viscount

Browse dictionary entries near foul

  1. fought
  2. fouetté
  3. foudroyant
  4. Foucault pendulum
  5. Foucault
  6. FOTS
  7. fosterling
  8. fosterage
  9. foster home
  10. foster
  1. foul ball
  2. foul line
  3. foul play
  4. foul pole
  5. foul shot
  6. foul tip
  7. foul-up
  8. foulard
  9. foulbrood
  10. foulmouthed