personal foul

noun

: a foul in a game (such as basketball) involving usually physical contact with or deliberate roughing of an opponent compare technical foul

Examples of personal foul 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.

The Warriors had several injuries and the atmosphere on the field was becoming toxic – there were a half-dozen personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties called, along a targeting penalty on Pacifica. —

Steve Dulas, Orange County Register, 11 Oct. 2024 Wil Lutz’s 59-yard attempt went wide left, but a personal foul penalty on the Raiders gave Denver another chance. —

Sarah Kelly, The Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2024 The only on-field personal foul violations that result in higher fines than hip-drop tackles are impermissible use of the helmet/launching, fighting, and incidents between players and officials. —

Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 4 Sep. 2024 Jones — for the second time against the Sky — finished the game with five personal fouls. —

Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 5 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for personal foul

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1829, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of personal foul was circa 1829

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Personal foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20foul. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

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