From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfoulfoul1 /faʊl/ ●●○ adjective 1 smell/tasteCOCT a foul smell or taste is very unpleasant SYN disgusting He woke up with a foul taste in his mouth. a pile of foul-smelling garbage He put down his mug of foul-tasting coffee.► see thesaurus at horrible2 → in a foul mood/temper3 air/waterDIRTY very dirty Refugees in the camps are short of food and at risk from foul water. extractor fans to remove foul air from the tunnel4 → foul language5 weather especially British EnglishDN foul weather is stormy and windy, with a lot of rain or snow Always carry foul weather gear when you go out walking. —foully adverb —foulness noun [uncountable] → by fair means or foul at fair1(11), → fall foul of somebody/something at fall1(15)
Examples from the Corpus
foul• the foul air of the factory• Sanchez hit three foul balls before connecting with a line drive to right field.• foul deeds• The foul haze of pollution has meant an increase in asthma cases.• A foul haze of pollution hung over the city.• Residents have complained of foul odors from the factory.• Supposing aunt sees us, said G.P. Barber's got the foulest reputation in Cornwall.• There was a foul smell coming up from the river.• a pile of foul-smelling garbagefoulfoul2 verb 1 a) [transitive] if a sports player fouls another player, they do something that is not allowed by the rules b) DSB[intransitive, transitive] to hit a ball outside the limit of the playing area in baseball2 (also foul up) [transitive] formalDIRTY to make something very dirty, especially with waste rivers and lakes fouled almost beyond recovery by pollutants → foul up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
foul• The oil spill has fouled at least four beaches.• On average, most batters foul at least one ball in each at bat.• He turned and hit a 3-point shot while being fouled by Bailey.• She was singing aloud as she skipped when suddenly and unexpectedly her rope was fouled by something and nearly tripped her up.• Most deaths are caused not by catastrophic accidents but by fouling from oil that is illegally but routinely discharged from ships.• In Game 2, Williams played 26 minutes, fouled out and Robinson had 40 points.• But Brent fouled out with 6: 11 left, depriving the Clippers a penetrator on their potential game-winning possession.• Check that nothing can foul the moving parts.• They fouled their corners and filled the hot room with their smells, and they frightened him with their incessant snarling.• Hardaway was fouled trying to make a three-point shot.• It fouled up the airline for five days until President Clinton stepped in.• Late on there was an incident in on the edge of the Ipswich penalty area, can't remember who fouled who.foulfoul3 noun [countable] 1 DSan action in a sport that is against the rules Wright was booked for a foul on the goalkeeper.2 a hit in baseball which goes outside the limits of the playing areaExamples from the Corpus
foul• He'd committed three fouls by half-time.Origin foul1 Old English ful 