foul play

American  

noun

1. any treacherous or unfair dealing, especially involving murder.

   We feared that he had met with foul play.

2. unfair conduct in a game.

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foul play British  

noun

1. unfair or treacherous conduct esp with violence

2. a violation of the rules in a game or sport

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foul play Idioms  

1. Unfair or treacherous action, especially involving violence. For example, The police suspected he had met with foul play. This term originally was and still is applied to unfair conduct in a sport or game and was being used figuratively by the late 1500s. Shakespeare used it in The Tempest (1:2): “What foul play had we, that we came from thence?”

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Etymology

Origin of foul play

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foul play

The university suspects foul play, and said its Division of Public Safety & Security had been dispatched to investigate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

The sheriff’s department has not been able to determine how the man entered the waterway, but no foul play is suspected at this point.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

Home to fewer than 200 people and nestled on the edge of Dartmoor, this peaceful valley is reeling with the knowledge that police suspect foul play in the death of the former government minister.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Striker Balogun was sent off for serious foul play against Bosnia-Herzegovina and should also have received a ban for two games.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Dewey’s own initial contact with foul play in Finney County occurred in 1947.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote