foul.

1. Dirty, contaminated, or strongly unpleasant to the senses.

2. Harsh or objectionable in weather, language, or conduct.

3. An action that breaks a game's rules, especially through improper contact.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• foul water
• foul smell

On the page

Foul water collected beneath the pipe.

Usage notes

Primary category: setting / environment. Forms: Comparative more foul; superlative most foul when comparison is meaningful.. Noun singular foul; plural fouls. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: fouls.