1
as in murder
the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life
the coroner ruled that there was no evidence of foul play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in violence
the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property
the suspect has a long history of foul play, and was once convicted on assault and battery charges
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foul play
There were no signs of trauma, and foul play was not suspected, according to police.
—
Julie Mendes, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
All firearms were legally possessed, no foul play is suspected, and the shooting appears accidental, police said.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
With the cause and manner of death already determined, and no foul play suspected, the only aspects of the case left unresolved – at least in the eyes of the Justice Department – was whether the actions of any of the officers contributed to Epstein’s suicide.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Many alleged that Aujay was the victim of foul play.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Julie Mendes, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
All firearms were legally possessed, no foul play is suspected, and the shooting appears accidental, police said.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
With the cause and manner of death already determined, and no foul play suspected, the only aspects of the case left unresolved – at least in the eyes of the Justice Department – was whether the actions of any of the officers contributed to Epstein’s suicide.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Many alleged that Aujay was the victim of foul play.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul play
Noun
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OpenAI is now facing seven wrongful-death lawsuits, which allege that ChatGPT prompted several suicides and a murder.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Using the text as a base, this piece tells the story of an unlikely bond — a ship’s Captain harboring a stowaway accused of murder —through a mix of words, dance, music, sound, and art installation.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The records also show Renfro is facing several other charges from previous cases, including assault causing bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury-family violence, evading arrest or detention, and continuous violence against the family.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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The siting of the rites at the Colosseum—where it has been held since 1964, echoing a practice from the eighteenth century—means that the Pope enacts Jesus’ final hours not in a Baroque basilica but against the backdrop of the Roman Empire, which exercised power through violence.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The driver in the Philadelphia crash was later charged with DUI homicide.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
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The medical examiner determined Moore’s cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death to be homicide.—
Kathryn Kovalenko,
Twin Cities,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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John, lucky in everything, had received the enhancing admixture of dark, French Mediterranean, Bouvier blood.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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Nearly a year later, after the completion of a blood pattern analysis that pointed to Brendan Banfield as the person who’d held the knife inside the bedroom, authorities arrested him, too.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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On Monday, the Contra Costa DA's Office said in a press release that Howard Wang now faces an additional murder charge for the June 2024 killing of 41-year-old Chengli Li in Los Angeles County.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Three unsolved homicides — the April, 3, 2022 killings of 22-year-old Brandon Alexander Cheese and 20-year-old Kieran Carlson in San Francisco — as well as the June 2022 killing of Leandre Hubbard in North Richmond, were attributed to this feud.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul%20play. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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