MEANING
To make something dirty, contaminated, or repulsively unclean.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- befoul water
- befoul a room
On the page
A broken drain befouled the room beneath the stairs.
The leaking vessel had befouled the water before the odor appeared.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- befoul
- Past tense
- befouled
- Past participle
- befouled
- Present participle
- befouling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- befoul
- Present continuous
- am/is/are befouling
- Present perfect
- have/has befouled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been befouling
- Past
- befouled
- Past continuous
- was/were befouling
- Past perfect
- had befouled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been befouling
- Future
- will befoul
- Future continuous
- will be befouling
- Future perfect
- will have befouled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been befouling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Explore related collections
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Forms: befoul; befouls; befouled; befouled; befouling Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: befouls.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.