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

Fifa's disciplinary code states that Balogun should receive a ban of "at least two matches for serious foul play".

From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026

In 2021, specialist officers working as part of a unit investigating organised crime also investigated to no avail, though did rule it was "foul play".

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

The Sierra Madre Police Department said Saturday that a man — at that point unidentified — died after having a medical emergency on the trail and that no foul play was suspected.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

“But obviously the pattern of foul play continues,” Bouchouev said in an email to MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

The detectives made no mention of suspecting foul play.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson