fouls

verb

present tense third-person singular of foul
1
as in stains
to make dirty the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease

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2
as in pollutes
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 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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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fouls Getty ImagesEnzo Fernandez of Argentina fouls Pau Cubarsi of Spain, resulting in a red card during the World Cup final match at New York New Jersey Stadium. — NBC news, 19 July 2026 Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy fouls Iran forward Mehdi Taremi. — Eric Thayer, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026 There have been multiple instances in which fouls against Clark have been upgraded after the fact. — James Boyd, New York Times, 25 June 2026 Oklahoma City hardly fouls – averaging just 19 fouls against and drawing 20-plus fouls per game – despite playing intense defense. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 3 May 2026 Volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide are the key ingredients in ground-level ozone pollution, which combine on hot days to create a smog that fouls the air. — Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026 This year’s team is an exceptional group of talented players, but their defense fouls too much, Smith dribbles too much and our shooting percentage often tanks. — Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2026 Jordan Pope fouls Georgia's Jeremiah Wilkinson on a 3-point shot right in front of Texas coach Sean Miller. — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouls
  1. stains
  2. pollutes
  3. humiliates
  4. decomposes
  5. dirties
  6. poisons
  7. discredits
  8. decays
Verb
  • The self-tan wipes are easy to apply and contain exfoliating acids that smooth the skin, plus encapsulated DHA (the ingredient that stains the skin) to leave behind a radiant tan.
    — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Homemade plum compote stains the filling with a vibrant red ribbon.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of stains
Verb
  • The usual analogy is that generative AI and LLMs are akin to a factory that pollutes local waters.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The Chenab River runs red with blood while poison pollutes the five rivers of Punjab and spreads through the fertile soil.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of pollutes
Verb
  • Filming a scene in which Isaiah humiliates Cam, Withers asked Wayans to crack jokes about Kionte’s death — the defining event of Withers’ life, and his lowest point.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Diomande just humiliates fullbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Definition of humiliates
Verb
  • Named for the Frenchman Joseph Fourier, the Fourier transform decomposes any function into a set of simple waves, each with a different frequency, or tone.
    — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The research team enabled a room-temperature, four-electron chemical reaction path that forms and decomposes lithium oxide, which expands available energy storage.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
Definition of decomposes
Verb
  • The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of dirties
Verb
  • Set in 2029 in a future where no mutants have been born in 25 years, Jackman plays an older, grizzlier Wolverine, one whose healing factor is fading as his adamantium skeleton slowly poisons him.
    — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Any infection can progress to a systemic disease that poisons the blood and body.
    — RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of poisons
Verb
  • The praiseworthyness of having both sides of the debate evaporates when the host actively discredits the expert and reflexively enhances the legitimacy of the conspiracy theorist.
    — Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Yet despite its popularity, research discredits this long-standing belief.
    — Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 29 Oct. 2025
Definition of discredits
Verb
  • Rituals are performed, oaths proposed and broken, and tensions escalate as the unburied body decays.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Control concentrated in one person dies with that person, decays with that person's judgment, and converts to cash the day that person takes a hard enough offer.
    — Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of decays

Browse Nearby Words

foul play
fouls
fouls up
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Cite this Entry

“Fouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouls. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fouls for Spanish Speakers

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