I. foul 1 /faʊl/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: ful ]
1 . SMELL/TASTE a foul smell or taste is very unpleasant SYN disgusting :
He woke up with a foul taste in his mouth.
a pile of foul-smelling garbage
He put down his mug of foul-tasting coffee.
2 . in a foul mood/temper British English in a very bad temper and likely to get angry:
The argument with his mother left Putt in a foul mood.
3 . AIR/WATER very dirty:
Refugees in the camps are short of food and at risk from foul water.
extractor fans to remove foul air from the tunnel
4 . foul language rude and offensive words:
She claimed she had been subjected to abuse and foul language.
5 . WEATHER especially British English foul weather is stormy and windy, with a lot of rain or snow:
Always carry foul weather gear when you go out walking.
—foully adverb
—foulness noun [uncountable]
⇨ by fair means or foul at ↑ fair 1 (11), ⇨ fall foul of somebody/something at ↑ fall 1 (15)
• • •
THESAURUS
■ taste/smell
▪ horrible very bad and unpleasant:
What’s that horrible smell?
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This fish tastes horrible.
▪ disgusting/revolting horrible, especially in a way that makes you feel slightly sick:
I had to take two spoons of some disgusting medicine.
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The stench in the room was revolting.
▪ nasty very unpleasant – often used about a taste that stays in your mouth:
Cheap wine sometimes leaves a nasty taste in your mouth.
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the nasty smell of bad eggs
▪ nauseating /ˈnɔːzieɪtɪŋ, -si- $ ˈnɒːzi-, -ʃi-/ horrible and making you feel that you are going to ↑ vomit – used especially about a smell:
the nauseating smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke
▪ foul /faʊl/ horrible – used especially when there is decay or waste:
There was a foul smell coming from the water.
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Whatever it was in that cup, it tasted foul.
II. foul 2 BrE AmE verb
1 .
a) [transitive] if a sports player fouls another player, they do something that is not allowed by the rules
b) [intransitive and transitive] to hit a ball outside the limit of the playing area in baseball
2 . ( also foul up ) [transitive] formal to make something very dirty, especially with waste:
rivers and lakes fouled almost beyond recovery by pollutants
foul up phrasal verb informal
1 . to do something wrong or spoil something by making mistakes ⇨ foul-up :
We can’t afford to foul up this time.
foul something ↔ up
Glen completely fouled up the seating arrangements.
2 . foul something ↔ up to make something very dirty, especially with waste:
He lit a cigarette and started to foul up the air with stinging yellow smoke.
III. foul 3 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . an action in a sport that is against the rules:
Wright was booked for a foul on the goalkeeper.
2 . a hit in baseball which goes outside the limits of the playing area