foul line

noun

1

: either of two straight lines extending from the rear corner of home plate through the outer corners of first and third base respectively and prolonged to the boundary of a baseball field

2

: a line across a bowling alley that a player must not step over when delivering the ball

3

: either of two lines on a basketball court parallel to and 15 feet from the backboards behind which a player must stand while shooting a free throw

Examples of foul line in a Sentence

The ball landed just inside the right-field foul line.

Recent Examples on the Web

DeRozan shot 7 for 18, but went 12 for 12 at the foul line. —CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026

The Atlanta-area native also went just 8-for-14 from the foul line in his latest homecoming after making 91% of his foul shots over his previous nine games. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026

The Aztecs drew 19 fouls in the game to eight against the Jayhawks, who enjoyed a 15-7 margin in points from the foul line. —Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026

The Spurs dominated nearly every area of the game, outscoring the Heat 60-40 in the paint, 25-19 at the foul line and 25-4 in second-chance points. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for foul line

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine

Kids Definition

foul line

noun

1

: either of two straight lines running from the rear corner of home plate through first and third base on to the boundary of a baseball field

2

: a line across which a player must not step (as when bowling or shooting a free throw)