befoul
verb (used with object)
to make dirty or filthy; soil; defile; sully.
befouled
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past participleof befoul.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof befoul.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
befoulverb (used with object)to make dirty or filthy; soil; defile; sully.
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.
But in 2026, nothing comparable exists for our befouled media landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
A bad apple might be icky and distasteful, but befouled meat caused a related, but totally distinct, sensation cluster of contamination, queasiness and defilement.
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2021
The miles-wide oil slick from the spill reported Saturday off Huntington Beach had already befouled beaches and estuaries just to the north.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2021
It’s not as though Harvard lacks for alums whom the institution should be ashamed to be associated with, or who have befouled “the public perception of integrity in higher education.”
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2018
“Do forgive me. The Grand Maester befouled himself in dying, and the stink was so abominable that I thought I might choke.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
