1
as in stains
to make dirty
the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pollutes
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
industrial pollution fouling the water supply
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in humiliates
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in decomposes
to go through decomposition
unless you want to smell the organic refuse as it fouls, locate the compost heap away from the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouls
Verb
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Blood still regularly stains the floors of the Coliseum’s rings.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But to isolate gold, galamsey workers typically use poisonous mercury, which pollutes drinking water and farmland and has been linked to serious illness and birth defects.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
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Debris pollutes waterways, cooking fires may spread, and the District Attorney’s Office has repeatedly documented how homeless residents are more likely to be victims of crime.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To show him who’s boss, Catherine turns around and buys Pac-North, humiliates him by closing it, and forces him back to Grey Sloan.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
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There’s always a moment in which somebody humiliates the villain and now all the love in him is gone.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Return nutrients back to the soil Fallen leaves and other plant debris act as a natural mulch, which slowly decomposes over the winter.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 Oct. 2025
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When leaves fall to the ground, the carbon stays in these leaves, breaks down, and decomposes and releases nutrients back into the soil that plants can take in.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The most common isotope, plutonium-239, is produced when the most common isotope of uranium, uranium-238, absorbs a neutron and then quickly decays to plutonium.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
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The heartwood in the tree’s center decays first and makes for easy excavating.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Attorney General Pam Bondi insults Democrats in Senate hearing.—
Sudiksha Kochi,
USA Today,
8 Oct. 2025
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In the case of Governor Pritzker insults his body, body shamed him.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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While the missile could, in theory, bypass missile defenses, each test risks radioactive fallout if the reactor disintegrates during flight or on impact.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
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Ethan Hawke stars as Lorenz Hart of legendary songsmiths Rodgers & Hart as the prolific partnership disintegrates to his great dismay.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If Britain continues down the path of criminalizing thought and prayer, the alliance risks being reduced to polite diplomacy while its moral core rots away.—
Lois McLatchie Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouls. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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