foul

  1. Adjective.  Covered with, or containing, extraneous matter which is injurious, noxious, offensive, or obstructive; filthy; dirty; not clean; polluted; nasty; defiled; as, a foul cloth; foul hands; a foul chimney; foul air; a ship's bottom is foul when overgrown with barnacles; a gun becomes foul from repeated firing; a well is foul with polluted water.
  2. Adjective.  Scurrilous; obscene or profane; abusive; as, foul words; foul language.
  3. Adjective.  Hateful; detestable; shameful; odious; wretched.
  4. Adjective.  Loathsome; disgusting; as, a foul disease.
  5. Adjective.  Ugly; homely; poor.
  6. Adjective.  Not favorable; unpropitious; not fair or advantageous; as, a foul wind; a foul road; cloudy or rainy; stormy; not fair; -- said of the weather, sky, etc.
  7. Adjective.  Not conformed to the established rules and customs of a game, conflict, test, etc.; unfair; dishonest; dishonorable; cheating; as, foul play.
  8. Adjective.  (nautical) Having freedom of motion interfered with by collision or entanglement; entangled; -- opposed to clear; as, a rope or cable may get foul while paying it out.
  9. Adjective.  (baseball) Outside of the base lines; in foul territory.
  10. Verb.  (transitive) To make dirty.
  11. Verb.  (transitive) To besmirch.
  12. Verb.  (transitive) To clog or obstruct.
  13. Verb.  (transitive, nautical) To entangle.
  14. Verb.  (transitive, basketball) To make contact with an opposing player in order to gain advantage.
  15. Verb.  (transitive, baseball) To hit outside of the baselines.
  16. Verb.  (intransitive) To become clogged.
  17. Verb.  (intransitive) To become entangled.
  18. Verb.  (intransitive, basketball) To commit a foul.
  19. Verb.  (intransitive, baseball) To hit a ball outside of the baselines.
  20. Noun.  (sports) A breach of the rules of a game, especially one involving inappropriate contact with an opposing player in order to gain an advantage; as, for example, foot-tripping in soccer, or contact of any kind in basketball.
  21. Noun.  (bowling) A (usually accidental) contact between a bowler and the lane before the bowler has released the ball.
  22. Noun.  (baseball) A foul ball, a ball which has been hit outside of the base lines.

This is an unmodified, but possibly outdated, definition from Wiktionary and used here under the Creative Commons license. Wiktionary is a great resource. If you like it too, please donate to Wikimedia.

This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.