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foul

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.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: foul

1
 adjv
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
make unclean
2
 adjnv
violating accepted standards or rules
an act that violates the rules of a sport
commit a foul; break the rules
3
 adj
characterized by obscenity
4
 adj
(of a manuscript) defaced with changes
5
 adj
especially of a ship's lines etc
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: foul
1

adj 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

adj 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

adj 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

v make unclean

“foul the water”
Type of:
begrime, bemire, colly, dirty, grime, soil
make soiled, filthy, or dirty

v make impure

Synonyms:
contaminate, pollute
Types:
infect, taint
contaminate with a disease or microorganism
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

v spot, stain, or pollute

Synonyms:
befoul, defile, maculate
Type of:
attaint, disgrace, dishonor, dishonour, shame
bring shame or dishonor upon

v become soiled and dirty

Type of:
change
undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature

v become or cause to become obstructed

Synonyms:
back up, choke, choke off, clog, clog up, congest
Antonyms:
unclog
become or cause to become unobstructed
Types:
show 4 types...
hide 4 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
2

adj 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

adj (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
show more antonyms...

n 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

v 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

v 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
3

adj characterized by obscenity

“foul language”
Synonyms:
cruddy, filthy, nasty, smutty
dirty
(of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency
4

adj (of a manuscript) defaced with changes

Synonyms:
dirty, marked-up
illegible
(of handwriting, print, etc.) not legible
5

adj especially of a ship's lines etc

“a foul anchor”
Synonyms:
afoul, fouled
tangled
in a confused mass
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