fouled 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of foulednext
as in contaminated

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fouled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of foul
1
as in stained
to make dirty the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease

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2
as in polluted
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable industrial pollution fouling the water supply

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3
as in humiliated
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

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4
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition unless you want to smell the organic refuse as it fouls, locate the compost heap away from the house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouled
  1. contaminated
  2. poisoned
  3. disintegrated
  4. tainted
  5. degraded
  6. impure
Adjective
  • As the recall was initiated back in February, the contaminated merchandise may have since been removed from shelves.
    — Moná Thomas, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Listen to this article The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will not reconsider its denial to investigate whether the Tijuana River Estuary qualifies as a Superfund site, a designation given to the most contaminated places in the country needing long-term cleanup.
    — Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of contaminated
Verb
  • Drugs, success, and conflicting personalities had poisoned members’ relationships.
    — Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
  • The iconic American bird was almost wiped out in the 1960s due to the pesticide DDT, which poisoned the eagles and made their eggs weak and flimsy.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
Definition of poisoned
Verb
  • The coins were apparently stored in a leather pouch, which had disintegrated over time, and concealed within or behind a kitchen wall, according to the Jerusalem Post.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2025
  • Roberto Mancini did make up with Carlos Tevez (or, at least, was willing to tolerate him) after their relationship at Manchester City appeared to have disintegrated.
    — Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Definition of disintegrated
Adjective
  • But publishers are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious fraud.
    — Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Publishers, however, are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious signs of fraud.
    — Guillaume Cabanac, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
Definition of tainted
Verb
  • When the tile degraded, the gaps were filled in with livestock bones.
    — Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Dec. 2024
  • That’s good news, considering phosphorous pollution has degraded water quality in the Everglades for decades and remains a challenge.
    — Rebecca Blackwell, Sun Sentinel, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of degraded
Adjective
  • Two major developments in the mid-1800s showed why impure water is dangerous.
    — Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025
  • The evocation of the boy’s impure actions, as well as the undertow of sexuality in both his parish priest’s solicitude and his father’s violence, caught the attention of the censors, who typically busied themselves outlawing pulp erotica.
    — Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Definition of impure
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

foul
fouled
fouled up
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Cite this Entry

“Fouled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of fouled for Spanish Speakers

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