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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

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

The lone fine, revealed by the league Saturday, was levied on Washington cornerback Emmanuel Forbes for a personal foul on a hit to the helmet of Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett.

From Seattle Times Nov. 18, 2023

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