1
as in staining
to make dirty
the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluting
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 humiliating
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in decomposing
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
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Recent Examples of fouling
There were others like it against Ohtani as well, showing the Mets are still fouling off tough pitches and trying to keep at-bats alive, and some standout defensive plays made as well.
—
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
The main area holding Hines back was a propensity for fouling in his freshman season.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Winkler plays the town’s mayor, an excessively charming, morally questionable fellow who scrambles the town’s cops and residents to keep Ulysses from fouling everything up.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi had been shown a straight red card before half-time for fouling Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The Braves showed their offensive personality by fouling off or blooping some of Detmers’ best work and then taking advantage of the mistakes.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
In comparison, the Longhorns couldn’t seem to defend without fouling in the regular season while allowing 11 of the 22 Power Five teams faced in the regular season to shoot at least 49% from the field.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Demary made a shot from well behind the 3-point line.
—Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Demary made a shot from well behind the three-point line.
—Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
The main area holding Hines back was a propensity for fouling in his freshman season.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Winkler plays the town’s mayor, an excessively charming, morally questionable fellow who scrambles the town’s cops and residents to keep Ulysses from fouling everything up.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi had been shown a straight red card before half-time for fouling Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The Braves showed their offensive personality by fouling off or blooping some of Detmers’ best work and then taking advantage of the mistakes.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
In comparison, the Longhorns couldn’t seem to defend without fouling in the regular season while allowing 11 of the 22 Power Five teams faced in the regular season to shoot at least 49% from the field.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Demary made a shot from well behind the 3-point line.
—Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Demary made a shot from well behind the three-point line.
—Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouling
Verb
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Allow the area to dry and repeat the process if visible mold or staining remains.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
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If your books have already been affected, the staining will likely remain—even after treatment—and mold may return, Fifield warns.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As of last April, the state environmental agency was also lagging behind on inspections of polluting facilities, according to the audit.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Apr. 2026
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In the industrial revolution, emissions from factories and eventually cars began polluting our air, trapping atmospheric gases and warming our planet, pushing temperatures to dangerous levels.—
Brandon Goldner,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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State caseworkers have sent an untold number of elders in their care to a coterie of homes with a history of hurting, ignoring or humiliating their residents, records and anguished families say.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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These clips often use humor and pop‑culture aesthetics—even LEGO‑style animations—to show Iran’s late supreme leader outsmarting and humiliating his American adversaries.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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The autopsy was performed in September 2025, days after the body was found decomposing in the Tesla's trunk at a Hollywood tow yard, but the results were ordered sealed by a judge as the Los Angeles Police Department and the county's District Attorney's Office built their case.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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These tungsten atoms would then condense on the slightly cooler inside of the glass bulb, blackening it and dimming the light over time.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The young woman who sojourned to Oberlin College, where she was wrongfully accused of poisoning her classmates and beaten half to death, who raised her hands in defense of herself, then went on to grip clay and rock and chisel to re-create visions of justice.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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Protesters, however, say that HERC, which neighbors Target Field near the North Loop neighborhood, is responsible for essentially poisoning people who live nearby.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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My fear is that poor implementation and, above all, a failure to take accountability seriously will end up discrediting good ideas.—
Rachel Canter,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
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In April 2024, Hayden agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty for violating conflict of interest law by allowing his office to issue an official press statement aimed at discrediting his primary opponent, Arroyo, days before the election.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The meteor was moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour and traveled 117 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 27 miles above the town of Galloway north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to NASA.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
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Last year, the Dominican Republic deported more than 100,000 Haitians back to their disintegrating country.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fouling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouling. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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