fouling

Verb

foul (third-person singular simple present fouls, present participle fouling, simple past and past participle fouled)

1. (transitive) To make dirty.
   • to foul the face or hands with mire

   Synonyms:

   befoul, dirty, besmirch, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile

2. (transitive) To besmirch.
   • He's fouled his reputation.

   Synonyms:

   denigrate, diss, traduce, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul, belibel, besmirch

3. (intransitive, transitive) To obstruct, block, or otherwise interfere with (something), for example by clogging (a drain, gun barrel, chimney, etc) or by being in the way of (a gunshot, etc).
   • The hair has fouled the drain.

   Synonyms:

   choke, clog, impede, barricade, block, close off, cumber, forslow, forwork, gunk up

4. (transitive) To entangle.
   • The kelp has fouled the prop.

   Synonyms:

   ensnare, snarl, enmesh, ensnarl, entangle, implicate, imply, involve, mat, ravel

5. (transitive) To make make a play, such as a strong contact with an opposing player in order to gain advantage, that is deemed by the referee to have contravened the rules.
   • Smith fouled him hard.
6. (intransitive) To commit a foul.
   • Smith fouled within the first minute of the quarter.

See all 25 meanings of foul