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befoul

[ bih-foul ]
/ bɪˈfaʊl /
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See synonyms for: befoul / befoulment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to make dirty or filthy; soil; defile; sully: a bird that befouls its own nest.

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Origin of befoul

First recorded in 1275–1325, befoul is from the Middle English word bi-foulen.See be-, foul

OTHER WORDS FROM befoul

be·foul·er, nounbe·foul·ment, noun

Words nearby befoul

before long, before the wind, beforetime, before you can say Jack Robinson, before you know it, befoul, befriend, befuddle, beg, begad, began
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to befoul

defile, pollute, soil, malign, slander, dirty, corrupt, stain

Example sentences from the Web for befoul

British Dictionary definitions for befoul

befoul
/ (bɪˈfaʊl) /

verb

(tr) to make dirty or foul; soil; defile

Derived forms of befoul

befouler, nounbefoulment, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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