befoul
verb (used with object)
to make dirty or filthy; soil; defile; sully.
befouling
-
present participleof befoul.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Netflix had been befouling the tape of late, falling 26.7 percent in the past three months and declining on 21 of the previous 29 trading days.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2024
The city is also responding to months of complaints about homeless people blocking and befouling public spaces, menacing passers-by and committing random assaults.
From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2021
Well, for Moore, it’s a blueprint: one rich guy’s knack for befouling the neighborhood foretells another’s ability to mess up the land of the free.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 21, 2018
"And then there comes a threat" — Big Coal, enabling modern contrivances while befouling nature — "to their way of life. And they will have to defend it."
From US News ● Jan. 22, 2016
Despite his lead codpiece, the dust—undoubtedly—filtered in and at him, brought him daily, so long as he failed to emigrate, its little load of befouling filth.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
