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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of foul play
Officials cannot currently determine if foul play was involved in the death of the person whose bones were found, according to WHNS.
—
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Burns was found dead, and there were no signs of foul play, said Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a spokesperson with the Kansas City Police Department.
—Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
The death of popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg in September 2025, which raised questions of foul play and demands for justice among his huge fan base, is a sensitive issue that could influence voters.
—Shabnam Dohutia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 2026
There are currently no signs of foul play in the death investigation, the coroner said.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foul play
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Burns was found dead, and there were no signs of foul play, said Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a spokesperson with the Kansas City Police Department.
—Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
The death of popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg in September 2025, which raised questions of foul play and demands for justice among his huge fan base, is a sensitive issue that could influence voters.
—Shabnam Dohutia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 2026
There are currently no signs of foul play in the death investigation, the coroner said.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 26 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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The night of the killing On the night of Sunday, March 9, 1941, Funk took Welsh to the final performance of the Police Circus at Municipal Auditorium, a benefit put on by the Hamid-Morton Circus to support the Kansas City Police Department.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, prosecutors are in plea talks with a third man charged in Mizell's killing, prosecutors and his lawyers told the judge in a March 12 letter.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foul play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul%20play. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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