foul

/faʊl/

/faʊl/

Other forms: fouled; fouls; foulest; fouling; fouler

Foul is most commonly used as an adjective to describe a bad smell. As a verb, foul usually means “make dirty or messy.” You might foul your room to the point where it smells a bit foul.

In general, foul can be used as an adjective meaning "bad." Foul luck is bad luck; a foul day is a bad day. As a verb, foul can mean "break the rules." It’s used this way in sports, like when you commit a foul on the basketball court. The phrase "foul play" can be used in the context of sports or more generally, to indicate unfair or violent behavior. Avoid confusing foul with fowl, which refers to birds, especially chickens.

Definitions of foul

1. adjective

   highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
   synonyms: disgustful, disgusting, distasteful, loathly, loathsome, repellant, repellent, repelling, revolting, skanky, wicked, yucky

   offensive

   unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses
2. adjective

   offensively malodorous
   “a foul odor”

   synonyms: fetid, foetid, foul-smelling, funky, ill-scented, noisome, smelly, stinking

   ill-smelling, malodorous, malodourous, stinky, unpleasant-smelling

   having an unpleasant smell
3. adjective

   disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
   “a foul pond”

   synonyms: filthy, nasty

   dirty, soiled, unclean

   soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
4. verb

   make unclean
   “foul the water”

   type of:

   begrime, bemire, colly, dirty, grime, soil

   make soiled, filthy, or dirty
5. verb

   make impure
   synonyms: contaminate, pollute

   types:

   infect, taint

   contaminate with a disease or microorganism

   pollute

   contaminate (the environment) with waste or harmful substances

   superinfect

   infect (an infected cell) further or infect a cell already containing similar organisms

   smut

   affect with smut or mildew, as of a crop such as corn

   type of:

   begrime, bemire, colly, dirty, grime, soil

   make soiled, filthy, or dirty
6. verb

   spot, stain, or pollute
   synonyms: befoul, defile, maculate

   type of:

   attaint, disgrace, dishonor, dishonour, shame

   bring shame or dishonor upon
7. verb

   become soiled and dirty
   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
8. verb

   become or cause to become obstructed
   synonyms: back up, choke, choke off, clog, clog up, congest

   types:

   gum up

   stick together as if with gum

   crap up

   become obstructed or chocked up

   block, choke up, lug, stuff

   obstruct

   silt, silt up

   become chocked with silt

   type of:

   block, close up, impede, jam, obstruct, obturate, occlude

   block passage through
9. adjective

   violating accepted standards or rules
   “used foul means to gain power”

   synonyms: cheating, dirty, unsporting, unsportsmanlike

   unfair, unjust

   not fair; marked by injustice or partiality or deception
10. adjective

    (of a baseball) not hit between the foul lines
    synonyms:

    out-of-bounds

    outside the foul lines

    antonyms:

    fair

    (of a baseball) hit between the foul lines

    in-bounds

    between the first and third base lines
11. noun

    an act that violates the rules of a sport
    types:

    foul ball

    (baseball) a ball struck with the bat so that it does not stay between the lines (the foul lines) that define the width of the playing field

    personal foul

    a foul that involves unnecessarily rough contact (as in basketball or football)

    technical, technical foul

    (basketball) a foul that can be assessed on a player or a coach or a team for unsportsmanlike conduct; does not usually involve physical contact during play

    type of:

    infringement, violation

    an act that disregards an agreement or a right
12. verb

    commit a foul; break the rules
    types:

    hack

    kick on the shins

    hack

    kick on the arms

    type of:

    play

    participate in games or sport
13. verb

    hit a foul ball
    types:

    foul out

    baseball: hit a ball such that it is caught from an out in foul territory

    type of:

    hit

    cause to move by striking
14. adjective

    characterized by obscenity
    “foul language”

    synonyms: cruddy, filthy, nasty, smutty

    dirty

    (of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency
15. adjective

    (of a manuscript) defaced with changes
    synonyms: dirty, marked-up

    illegible

    (of handwriting, print, etc.) not legible
16. adjective

    especially of a ship's lines etc
    “a foul anchor”

    synonyms: afoul, fouled

    tangled

    in a confused mass