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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foul play

No "foul play" was suspected, according to police.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Though circumstances leading up to the death still were being investigated, there was no evidence of foul play, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The Sheriff’s Office did not provide the causes of death in either case but said it didn’t suspect foul play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Sheffield United claimed foul play over the third-party ownership of Tevez and Mascherano, and West Ham were eventually ordered to pay £20m in compensation, having initially been fined £5.5m rather than being docked points.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Though the jockey was probably not at fault for Exhibit’s change of course, it was common for stewards to briefly suspend riders caught in his situation to guard against foul play.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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