Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [uh-foul]
- /əˈfaʊl/
- /əˈfaʊl/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [uh-foul]
- /əˈfaʊl/
Definitions of afoul word
- adverb afoul in or into a state of difficulty, confusion, or conflict (with) 3
- adverb afoul in or into an entanglement or collision (with) (often in the phrase run afoul of) 3
- adverb afoul in a collision or a tangle 3
- idioms afoul run / come / fall afoul of, to become entangled with: The boat ran afoul of the seaweed. to come into conflict with: The business had fallen afoul of the new government regulations. 1
- noun afoul Into conflict or difficulty with. 1
- adjective afoul in conflict: with sth or sb 1
Information block about the term
Origin of afoul
First appearance:
before 1800 One of the 42% newest English words
An Americanism dating back to 1800-10; a-1 + foul
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Afoul
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
afoul popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 83% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
According to our data about 50% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.
afoul usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for afoul
adv afoul
- afield — away from one's usual surroundings or home (esp in the phrase far afield)
- badly — If something is done badly or goes badly, it is not very successful or effective.
- improperly — not proper; not strictly belonging, applicable, correct, etc.; erroneous: He drew improper conclusions from the scant evidence.
- incorrectly — not correct as to fact; inaccurate; wrong: an incorrect statement.
- mistakenly — wrongly conceived, held, or done: a mistaken antagonism.
Antonyms for afoul
Top questions with afoul
- what does afoul mean?