foul /fowl/ adjective- Filthy
- Dirty
- Disfigured
- Untidy
- Loathsome
- Obscene
- Impure
- Shameful
- Gross
- In bad condition
- Stormy
- Unpleasant
- Unfavourable
- Unfair
- Of little worth
- Choked up
- Entangled (nautical)
- Full of errors (printing)
- Ugly (Shakespeare)
- Bad (informal)
transitive verb- To make foul
- (of an animal) to defecate on or in (a footpath or other public place)
- In games or contests, to tackle in a way that constitutes a breach of the rules
- To collide with or come into accidental contact with
- To obstruct
intransitive verb To collide noun- The act of fouling
- Any breach of the rules in games or contests
adverb- In a foul manner
- Unfairly
ORIGIN: OE fūl; Ger faul, Gothic fûls foulˈly adverb foulˈness noun foulˈ-brood noun A bacterial disease of bee larvae foulˈ-fish noun Fish during the spawning season foulˈmart see foumart foulˈ-mouthed or foulˈ-spokˈen adjective Addicted to the use of foul or profane language foulˈ-mouthˈedness noun foul play noun - Unfair action in any game or contest
- Dishonest dealing generally
- Violence or murder
foulˈ-up see foul up below. cry foul To assert that a rule has been broken, and claim the penalty fall foul of - To come into accidental contact with
- To clash with
- To assail
foul befall or foul fall (obsolete) Bad luck to foul up - To make dirty
- To (cause to) be or become blocked or entangled
- To spoil (informal)
- To cause to fail or break down (informal)
- To bungle or make a mistake in (informal; foulˈ-up noun)
make foul water (nautical) To come into such shallow water that the keel throws up mud |