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

At the time, Mourinho pleaded with the referee for a red card to be shown to the Argentina international for dangerous foul play, because replays showed Romero made contact with his studs on Bellingham's knee.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

On Saturday, Crystal Palace defender Axel Disasi was sent off for serious foul play in the 3-2 loss to Ipswich Town.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

People go missing every day, whether by foul play or accident, and they have a right to our best efforts to bring them home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

There were no signs of foul play involved, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

But who is there to advocate for a scythe felled by foul play?

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman