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

In the win over the Wizards, Green scored 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field (3-of-4 from deep) and 5-of-7 shooting from the foul line, while grabbing eight rebounds, passing for five assists and blocking one shot in 28:53 of action. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2024

Less than two minutes later, the 22-year old cashed in another shot from the foul line. —Tony East, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Dozens of security guards lined up on the foul line after the umpires consulted with the Padres bullpen, according to Sunday’s broadcast. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024

Verdugo played a stellar game, perhaps his best in months, making a sliding catch with his bare hand near the foul line in the fourth to avoid things from getting worse for Gerrit Cole after the ace allowed a two-run homer while also reaching base three times for the first time since Sept. 1. —Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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)