1
as in murder
the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life
the coroner ruled that there was no evidence of foul play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in violence
the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property
the suspect has a long history of foul play, and was once convicted on assault and battery charges
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of foul play
While Adrien Brody And Mikey Madison Take Home Top Acting Honors
There's no hard proof of foul play, but the situation has fueled speculation that someone privy to Trump's plan placed this bet knowing prices would jump.
—
Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Police officials said further investigation would be needed to determine whether the unidentified woman was a victim of foul play.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2025
While Hackman’s age, 95, doesn’t make his death all that surprising, the precise cause has so far eluded authorities — despite there being no obvious signs of foul play.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2025
The condition of the bodies found Wednesday indicated that the deaths occurred at least several days earlier, and there was no sign of foul play.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Police officials said further investigation would be needed to determine whether the unidentified woman was a victim of foul play.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2025
While Hackman’s age, 95, doesn’t make his death all that surprising, the precise cause has so far eluded authorities — despite there being no obvious signs of foul play.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2025
The condition of the bodies found Wednesday indicated that the deaths occurred at least several days earlier, and there was no sign of foul play.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul play
Noun
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Among the editions that helped The Observer earn a top-10 designation were cover stories on the 40th anniversary of the Sweet 16, on the 25th anniversary of the Rae Carruth murder trial, on Johnson C. Smith football, and a feature package on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.—
Observer staff report,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Mar. 2025
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This comes as police killings have also long raised concerns from the public, most notably leading to massive Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in 2020 following the death of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of his murder.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Body camera footage of officers beating Brooks while his hands are cuffed behind him lead to intense criticism over the violence in the state’s prison system at the hands of corrections officers.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN,
4 Mar. 2025
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That’s the percentage of emergency department doctors and nurses that reported witnessing at least one incidence of violence at work.—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The man was accused of strangling his 61-year-old victim and hitting the man’s head against the ground near a gas station on Washington Street near Fourth Avenue shortly before 5 p.m., San Diego homicide Lt. Lou Maggi said in a news release.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Mar. 2025
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Officer Anthony Gamble, a department spokesperson, said that victim was in critical condition and that homicide detectives were investigating the scene.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacramento Bee,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The trailer is full of blood, guns and badass narration.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2025
-
This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Last month 10 former New York corrections employees were indicted in the killing of Robert Brooks, an inmate violently beaten while handcuffed in a prison infirmary in December.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA TODAY,
4 Mar. 2025
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Migrant arrivals at the U.S. border are at their lowest in years, and last week, Mexico extradited 29 cartel figures to the U.S., including the man involved in the 1985 killing of a DEA agent.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul%20play. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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