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 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

On Saturday, Tebboune said he did not rule out foul play.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Panettiere died in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday and police said there were not "any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances".

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Police did not release a cause of death but said a preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The detectives made no mention of suspecting foul play.

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