1
as in stains
to make dirty
the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pollutes
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
industrial pollution fouling the water supply
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in humiliates
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 decomposes
to go through decomposition
unless you want to smell the organic refuse as it fouls, locate the compost heap away from the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouls
Verb
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Blood still regularly stains the floors of the Coliseum’s rings.—
Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Most space debris pollutes low-Earth orbit.—
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While much of the effort is focused on the waterline, volunteers embark on missions inland to get the trash picked up ahead of the wet winter season and it is washed down to the ocean and pollutes the waters.—
Verb
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There’s always a moment in which somebody humiliates the villain and now all the love in him is gone.—
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And Sacks, a PayPal Mafia member and veteran Silicon Valley investor, is just the sort of titan of industry this town routinely devours and humiliates — from Rex Tillerson to, well, Elon Musk.—
Verb
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When leaves fall to the ground, the carbon stays in these leaves, breaks down, and decomposes and releases nutrients back into the soil that plants can take in.—
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The calculation, called the Fourier transform, decomposes any function into its parts.—
Verb
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The heartwood in the tree’s center decays first and makes for easy excavating.—
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This could include some sort of novel, exotic form of mass or energy, a non-standard form of dark matter or dark energy that decays or otherwise interacts, or a modification to one or more laws of physics.—
Verb
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In the case of Governor Pritzker insults his body, body shamed him.—
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No matter how many times Putin insults the president and ignores his calls for a total ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump returns for more humiliation.—
Verb
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The debris collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.—
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Recruits typically come from deprived areas, and as Russia’s economy disintegrates in slow motion, the bonanza offered by the army looks increasingly appealing.—
Verb
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If Britain continues down the path of criminalizing thought and prayer, the alliance risks being reduced to polite diplomacy while its moral core rots away.—
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Cite this Entry
“Fouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouls. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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