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personal foul

American

noun

Sports.

a foul called in certain games, as basketball or football, for illegal body contact or rough, unsportsmanlike play.

Etymology

Origin of personal foul

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There were numerous 15-yard personal foul penalties for taunting, late hits, grabbing the face mask and a horse collar.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2025

“He knows that we have his back,” said Bozeman, who was called for a personal foul and described Shepherd’s play as “unacceptable.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2024

Duren was ejected after receiving a personal foul and two technicals.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2024

The unnecessary roughness penalty was the third personal foul on Greenlaw this season and his ejection was his second in the past two years.

From Washington Times • Dec. 9, 2023

Mahomes had a 10-yard run and got hit by Jonathan Owens while going out of bounds, leading to a personal foul that put the ball at Green Bay’s 45.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023