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
Leading off the sixth inning Sunday, Lewis unsuccessfully tried to bunt for a hit twice, fouling off both pitches.
—
Dan Hayes, New York Times, 18 May 2026
The Sixers made their run by intentionally fouling Mitchell Robinson away from the ball — the classic Hack-a-Shaq technique.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Campusano sustained the fracture after fouling a ball off his foot in San Francisco.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
In the 17th minute, Bay FC defender Aldana Cometti was given a yellow card for fouling San Diego forward Ludmila in the penalty area.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
This comes four days after the the four-time All-Star came off the 10-day injured after fouling off a pitch and breaking his left big toe on April 11 in another game against the Twins.
—ABC News, 2 May 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
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
Dan Hayes, New York Times, 18 May 2026
The Sixers made their run by intentionally fouling Mitchell Robinson away from the ball — the classic Hack-a-Shaq technique.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Campusano sustained the fracture after fouling a ball off his foot in San Francisco.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
In the 17th minute, Bay FC defender Aldana Cometti was given a yellow card for fouling San Diego forward Ludmila in the penalty area.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
This comes four days after the the four-time All-Star came off the 10-day injured after fouling off a pitch and breaking his left big toe on April 11 in another game against the Twins.
—ABC News, 2 May 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouling
Verb
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Boards with deep knife grooves, cracks, or staining should be replaced because damaged areas can continue to trap bacteria even after cleaning.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
17 May 2026
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Worse yet, the black olive tree caterpillar also feeds on these galls caused by the mites, accelerating staining through its droppings.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Engineers and safety experts are solving problems in a new technology that gets us off expensive and polluting fossil fuels.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
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Sunil Bector, an attorney with the Sierra Club, said that heavily polluting facilities will reap overlapping benefits from the assault on the Clean Air Act.—
Mark Olalde,
ProPublica,
8 May 2026
Verb
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In her report, Soto accused Sibrian of allegedly mocking and humiliating her for her accent, immigration status and race and calling her stupid.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
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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
Verb
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From a nearby dumpster there came the sweet and musty smell of decomposing seafood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
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The moist interior of pipes can harbor decomposing food, attracting fruit flies from the kitchen itself.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
13 May 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 chemotherapy doctors are poisoning you.—
Eileen Finan,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
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Boys State team Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss are behind Teenage Wasteland, which revisits the story of a group of teenagers in upstate New York, who in the early 1990s make a film that uncovers a conspiracy that is poisoning their community.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 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 22 May. 2026.
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