1
as in stained
to make dirty
the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluted
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
industrial pollution fouling the water supply
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in humiliated
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the minister was irreparably fouled by baseless rumors and allegations
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4
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
unless you want to smell the organic refuse as it fouls, locate the compost heap away from the house
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as in contaminated
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fouled
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Matters only got more bleak in the sixth, when Rushing fouled a ball off his right shin, smoking a ball right above where his guard ended and immediately going down in pain.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
That might have ended in the sixth inning on Friday night when Rushing fouled a ball off his right shin, dropped to the ground in obvious pain and had to be helped from the field.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
But just as Indiana was on the verge of cutting the lead to a single possession, Powers fouled Clark’s former Iowa teammate Kate Martin on a 3-pointer right in front of Indiana’s bench and the second-year guard swished the shot to erupt the Chase Center crowd.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2025
With the bases loaded and an 0-2 count, Miranda fouled off several pitches.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Gavin Sheets fell behind 0-2 and then fouled off five straight pitches before a curveball hit him in the right foot in the fourth inning.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
The moment occurred in Game 2 of that World Series when Piazza fouled off a pitch from Clemens and splintered his bat in the process.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2025
That led to the scramble for the loose ball in which Quaintance was fouled by N'Guessan.
—Field Level Media, Reuters, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
With the teams tied at 48 in the third quarter, guard Tiffany Hayes was fouled on a drive to the basket.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Sporting was awarded the spot kick after a video review revealed Shapi Suleymanov had been fouled while dribbling in on goal.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Matters only got more bleak in the sixth, when Rushing fouled a ball off his right shin, smoking a ball right above where his guard ended and immediately going down in pain.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
That might have ended in the sixth inning on Friday night when Rushing fouled a ball off his right shin, dropped to the ground in obvious pain and had to be helped from the field.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
But just as Indiana was on the verge of cutting the lead to a single possession, Powers fouled Clark’s former Iowa teammate Kate Martin on a 3-pointer right in front of Indiana’s bench and the second-year guard swished the shot to erupt the Chase Center crowd.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2025
With the bases loaded and an 0-2 count, Miranda fouled off several pitches.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Gavin Sheets fell behind 0-2 and then fouled off five straight pitches before a curveball hit him in the right foot in the fourth inning.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
The moment occurred in Game 2 of that World Series when Piazza fouled off a pitch from Clemens and splintered his bat in the process.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2025
That led to the scramble for the loose ball in which Quaintance was fouled by N'Guessan.
—Field Level Media, Reuters, 5 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouled
Verb
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Suarez, the 38-year-old Uruguayan icon and one of the greatest strikers in history with more than 500 goals for club and country, has had his legacy stained by disciplinary issues.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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Bricks look weathered and soot-stained, there’s graffiti on the walls, posters are peeling off them and shadows of moving people are even projected onto the windows of the train in the station.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Other public speakers, like Tabitha Fader, said the reroute would cause irreparable harm if wetlands and rivers were polluted during pipeline construction or in the event of a spill.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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The Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Ship Canal — located in East Chicago — were polluted from more than a century of industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, and caused multiple grassroots organizations to advocate for cleanup measures along the river.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
All that to be humiliated in the Orlando bubble?—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Inter Miami, clearly humiliated, let out its frustrations after the final whistle, when several Miami players, led by Luis Suarez, got into a scuffle with Seattle players.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Woolf's remains were found unclothed and partially decomposed near the San Joaquin trailhead in Tucson in December 2024.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
The body had decomposed, but the uniform the person was wearing and other equipment was well-preserved, L’Adige reported.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Two children who became ill showed symptoms of a condition that can arise from contaminated water.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In communities without clean water, families often burn wood to boil contaminated water, contributing to both deforestation and emissions.—
Sivan Yaari,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Currently, according to Applebee's website, menu items include bourbon street chicken and shrimp, hot honey glazed chicken and blackened Cajun salmon.—
Cathy Kozlowicz,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Video of the aftermath showed only debris from the collision and the ground blackened as though from a large explosion or fire.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As part of her ruling, Kreuziger barred McQueen, 59, from saying Lawrence Kenyon poisoned or attempted to poison her while they were married.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
10 Sep. 2025
-
When she was eventually released, Lee and a small group of her followers made the journey to America to spread their gospel, believing the people of Manchester to be poisoned by the teachings of the Church of England.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Eventually, however, Lowell’s ideas were discredited—Schiaparelli, once an ally, renounced them—and the world moved on.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
-
By the end of the year, the cold fusion bubble had burst, the technology was discredited, and the concept relegated to bad spy fiction and conspiracy theories.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fouled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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