dirty pool

noun

: underhanded or unsportsmanlike conduct

Examples of dirty pool in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Throwing people off the ballot based on obscure technicalities that New York used to specialize in, like using the wrong color of paper, is dirty pool deployed by party machines to squash insurgents. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2024 More dirty pool could be ahead. Jackie Calmes, Time, 22 June 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dirty pool was in 1918

Dictionary Entries Near dirty pool

Cite this Entry

“Dirty pool.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dirty%20pool. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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