foul ball
Americannoun
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a batted ground ball that is hit and played outside the foul lines, or that passes outside the foul lines at first or third base, or that is played outside the foul line between home and first or third base regardless of where hit.
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a batted fly ball played or landing outside the foul lines.
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Slang. an incompetent, unlucky, or eccentric person.
Etymology
Origin of foul ball
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s the roaring opposite of lazy foul ball spring training.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
It’s gotten so bad that when we see an adult do the right thing and fork a foul ball over to a child, we’re practically nominating them for a Nobel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025
On one recent broadcast, after a foul ball was lined back into the booth, the audience saw Randazzo triumphantly hold up the ball, which would have been the end of the scene on many broadcasts.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2025
Yankees fan Austin Capobianco was banned from attending Game 5 of the World Series after grabbing Dodgers star Mookie Betts’ glove after Betts reached into the stands to catch a foul ball.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 27, 2024
I was thirteen and didn’t know a foul ball from a fastball, but the Tigers were in town and the moment I heard they had a Jewish slugger called Hank Greenberg, I was hooked.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
