foul
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: foul
ipa: /faʊl/
rhymes: -aʊl
homophone: fowl
rhymes: -aʊəl
Forms: form: fouls
form: fouling
form: fouled
form: fouled
form: foule
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English foulen, fulen, from Old English fūlian (“to become foul; rot; decay”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūlēn, from Proto-Germanic *fūlāną (“to rot; decay”).
Senses: examples: text: to foul the face or hands with mire
text: She's fouled her diaper.
synonyms: befoul
dirty
besmirch
glosses: To make dirty.
examples: text: He's fouled his reputation.
glosses: To besmirch.
examples: text: The hair has fouled the drain.
text: As a result of the accident at Southend Airport when a Hermes aircraft overshot the runway and fouled the down Shenfield to Southend Victoria line between Rochford and Prittlewell, the Eastern Region is considering warning arrangements, which have already been provided on some lines running past aerodromes.
ref: 1961 November, “Talking of Trains: Aircraft on rail tracks”, in Trains Illustrated, page 650:
text: Unbelievable. Nearly all shots were fouled by twigs or branches.
ref: 2013, Miles Johannesburg, The Airgun Hunters Chronicles:
text: Porterfields 5" guns were of little use as their shots were fouled' by the other task group warships down range.
ref: 2018 September 21, Martin Irons, Phalanx Against the Divine Wind: Protecting the Fast Carrier Task Force During World War 2, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 217:
text: “You were lucky the shot was fouled,” said a dispassionate voice.
ref: 2020, Yoon Ha Lee, Phoenix Extravagant, start of chapter 21
glosses: To obstruct, block, or otherwise interfere with (something), for example by clogging (a drain, gun barrel, chimney, etc) or by being in the way of (a gunshot, etc).
examples: text: The kelp has fouled the prop.
text: The Indian's heart was sore for his boat; it looked as if nothing could save her. She was drifting more slowly now, her propeller fouled in kelp.
ref: 1941, Emily Carr, chapter 18, in Klee Wyck:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To entangle.
examples: text: Smith fouled him hard.
text: The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot.
ref: 2011 January 8, Chris Bevan, “Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds”, in BBC:
topics: ball-games
basketball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
soccer
sports
glosses: To make contact with an opposing player in order to gain advantage.
examples: text: Smith fouled within the first minute of the quarter.
text: State begins fouling and UCLA misses a couple of front-end free throws on one-and-ones.
ref: 2009, Brandon Lang, Stanley Cohen, Beating the Odds: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of a Sports Handicapper, →ISBN:
topics: ball-games
basketball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
soccer
sports
glosses: To commit a foul.
examples: text: Jones fouled the ball off the facing of the upper deck.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To hit outside of the baselines.
examples: text: Jones fouled for strike one.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To hit a ball outside of the baselines.
examples: text: The drain fouled.
glosses: To become clogged.
examples: text: The prop fouled on the kelp.
glosses: To become entangled.
examples: text: The full capacity, however, requires a hopper of a size that takes the wagon body up to 11ft 11½in above rail level, which would foul many existing colliery screens.
ref: 1963 July, “News and Comment: The future of coal by rail”, in Modern Railways, page 5:
glosses: To come into contact or collide with.
Derived terms: biofoul
foulable
foul one's own nest
foul out
foul up
foul-up
overfoul
unfouled