FOUL

Pronunciation (US):

• FOUL (noun)
  The noun FOUL has 1 sense:

1. an act that violates of the rules of a sport

  Familiarity information: FOUL used as a noun is very rare.

• FOUL (adjective)
  The adjective FOUL has 8 senses:

1. highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
2. offensively malodorous
3. violating accepted standards or rules
4. (of a baseball) not hit between the foul lines
5. (of a manuscript) defaced with changes
6. characterized by obscenity
7. disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
8. especially of a ship's lines etc

  Familiarity information: FOUL used as an adjective is common.

• FOUL (verb)
  The verb FOUL has 7 senses:

1. hit a foul ball
2. make impure
3. become or cause to become obstructed
4. commit a foul; break the rules
5. spot, stain, or pollute
6. make unclean
7. become soiled and dirty

  Familiarity information: FOUL used as a verb is common.

• FOUL (noun)

Meaning:

An act that violates of the rules of a sport

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("foul" is a kind of...):

infringement; violation (an act that disregards an agreement or a right)

Domain category:

athletics; sport (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "foul"):

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)

• FOUL (adjective)

Meaning:

Highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust

Synonyms:

skanky; revolting; repelling; yucky; loathly; foul; disgusting; disgustful; repellant; repellent; distasteful; loathsome; wicked

Context examples:

a disgusting smell / distasteful language / a loathsome disease / the idea of eating meat is repellent to me / revolting food / a wicked stench

Similar:

offensive (unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses)

Meaning:

Offensively malodorous

Synonyms:

smelly; ill-scented; funky; foul-smelling; foetid; fetid; foul; noisome; stinking

Context examples:

a foul odor / the kitchen smelled really funky

Similar:

ill-smelling; malodorous; malodourous; stinky; unpeasant-smelling (having an unpleasant smell)

Meaning:

Violating accepted standards or rules

Synonyms:

unsportsmanlike; unsporting; cheating; foul; dirty

Context examples:

a dirty fighter / used foul means to gain power / a nasty unsporting serve / fined for unsportsmanlike behavior

Similar:

unfair; unjust (not fair; marked by injustice or partiality or deception)

Meaning:

(of a baseball) not hit between the foul lines

Similar:

out-of-bounds (outside the foul lines)

Domain category:

baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)

Antonym:

fair ((of a baseball) hit between the foul lines)

Meaning:

(of a manuscript) defaced with changes

Synonyms:

marked-up; foul; dirty

Context example:

foul (or dirty) copy

Similar:

illegible ((of handwriting, print, etc.) not legible)

Meaning:

Characterized by obscenity

Synonyms:

smutty; filthy; nasty; foul

Context examples:

had a filthy mouth / foul language / smutty jokes

Similar:

dirty ((of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency)

Meaning:

Disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter

Synonyms:

filthy; nasty; foul

Context examples:

as filthy as a pigsty / a foul pond / a nasty pigsty of a room

Similar:

dirty; soiled; unclean (soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime)

Meaning:

Especially of a ship's lines etc

Synonyms:

afoul; fouled; foul

Context examples:

with its sails afoul / a foul anchor

Similar:

tangled (in a confused mass)

• FOUL (verb)

Meaning:

Hit a foul ball

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "foul" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Domain category:

baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "foul"):

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

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Meaning:

Make impure

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

pollute; contaminate; foul

Context example:

The industrial wastes polluted the lake

Hypernyms (to "foul" is one way to...):

begrime; bemire; colly; dirty; grime; soil (make soiled, filthy, or dirty)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "foul"):

infect; taint (contaminate with a disease or microorganism)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Meaning:

Become or cause to become obstructed

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

congest; clog up; clog; choke off; foul; back up; choke

Context examples:

The leaves clog our drains in the Fall / The water pipe is backed up

Hypernyms (to "foul" is one way to...):

block; close up; impede; jam; obstruct; obturate; occlude (block passage through)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "foul"):

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)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Meaning:

Commit a foul; break the rules

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "foul" is one way to...):

play (participate in games or sport)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "foul"):

hack (kick on the arms)

hack (kick on the shins)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Meaning:

Spot, stain, or pollute

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

befoul; maculate; defile; foul

Context example:

The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it

Hypernyms (to "foul" is one way to...):

attaint; disgrace; dishonor; dishonour; shame (bring shame or dishonor upon)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Meaning:

Make unclean

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

foul the water

Hypernyms (to "foul" is one way to...):

begrime; bemire; colly; dirty; grime; soil (make soiled, filthy, or dirty)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Meaning:

Become soiled and dirty

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "foul" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s