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personal foul

American  

noun

Sports.
personal fouls plural
  1. a foul called in certain games, as basketball or football, for illegal body contact or rough, unsportsmanlike play.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

See Examples For:

Notre Dame lost its standout nose tackle, Chris Colon, for next week’s game after being ejected for two 15-yard personal foul penalties.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 8, 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

Broome, calling a personal foul on himself, went back over to Freeman during the game.

From Seattle Times Feb. 3, 2024

It was his first personal foul since an Oct.

From Seattle Times Dec. 10, 2023

Though Locksley didn’t specify, two calls last week stood out, both 15-yard personal foul penalties.

From Washington Times Nov. 16, 2023

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