What's the difference between befoul and foul?

Befoul


Definition:

  • (a.) To make foul; to soil.
  • (a.) To entangle or run against so as to impede motion.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) But there’s another set of rationalizations: we would never undertake such risky behavior; we would never live in such a neighborhood, work for such a company, visit such a fallen or disreputable establishment; we would never befoul ourselves with incautiousness as to almost welcome the violence.
  • (2) Variety called it “the ugliest gay-panic humour to befoul a studio release in recent memory” while the Guardian’s Alex Needham wrote “I suspect that in years to come, media studies students will watch this film and be astonished that such a negative portrayal of homosexuality persisted in the mainstream in 2015.” While the balanced treatment of sexuality in Hollywood is still considered be well behind that of both race and gender, recent moves in the industry have been perceived as a slow turning of the tide.
  • (3) The Russian Railways boss, Vladimir Yakunin, a close associate of Putin's and now placed on the US sanctions list, said the west wanted "to befoul everything" to do with Russia and thus criticised the Sochi games; while the influential defence analyst Sergei Karaganov complained about an "avalanche of lies" about Russia over Sochi.
  • (4) And it is the great polluter of the atmosphere , so befouled by our outpourings of greenhouse gases as to threaten the entire global climate system and – without serious and immediate evasive action – condem future generations to live on a hothouse Earth similar to that of 55 million years ago, when temperatures were 10 degrees warmer, and sea levels 80 metres higher.
  • (5) Where some saw an acid comedy of American mores, others detected something altogether more queasy: a befouled gallery of grotesques in which the paedophile comes touted as the most decent and sympathetic exhibit.
  • (6) Almost everywhere, beeping monitors alert visitors to the invisible foe that has befouled entire communities: radiation.

Foul


Definition:

  • (n.) A bird.
  • (superl.) Covered with, or containing, extraneous matter which is injurious, noxious, offensive, or obstructive; filthy; dirty; not clean; polluted; nasty; defiled; as, a foul cloth; foul hands; a foul chimney; foul air; a ship's bottom is foul when overgrown with barnacles; a gun becomes foul from repeated firing; a well is foul with polluted water.
  • (superl.) Scurrilous; obscene or profane; abusive; as, foul words; foul language.
  • (superl.) Hateful; detestable; shameful; odious; wretched.
  • (superl.) Loathsome; disgusting; as, a foul disease.
  • (superl.) Ugly; homely; poor.
  • (superl.) Not favorable; unpropitious; not fair or advantageous; as, a foul wind; a foul road; cloudy or rainy; stormy; not fair; -- said of the weather, sky, etc.
  • (superl.) Not conformed to the established rules and customs of a game, conflict, test, etc.; unfair; dishonest; dishonorable; cheating; as, foul play.
  • (superl.) Having freedom of motion interfered with by collision or entanglement; entangled; -- opposed to clear; as, a rope or cable may get foul while paying it out.
  • (v. t.) To make filthy; to defile; to daub; to dirty; to soil; as, to foul the face or hands with mire.
  • (v. t.) To incrust (the bore of a gun) with burnt powder in the process of firing.
  • (v. t.) To cover (a ship's bottom) with anything that impered its sailing; as, a bottom fouled with barnacles.
  • (v. t.) To entangle, so as to impede motion; as, to foul a rope or cable in paying it out; to come into collision with; as, one boat fouled the other in a race.
  • (v. i.) To become clogged with burnt powder in the process of firing, as a gun.
  • (v. i.) To become entagled, as ropes; to come into collision with something; as, the two boats fouled.
  • (n.) An entanglement; a collision, as in a boat race.
  • (n.) See Foul ball, under Foul, a.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Earlier recognition of foul-smelling mucoid discharge on the IUD tail, or abnormal bleeding, or both, as a sign of early pelvic infection, followed by removal of the IUD and institution of appropriate antibiotic therapy, might prevent the more serious sequelae of pelvic inflammation.
  • (2) I hope this two days off gives him the stimulus.” The omissions left a manager who cherishes control at risk of falling foul of the “law of Murphy” that he had already bemoaned this season.
  • (3) In some ways, the Gandolfini performance that his fans may savour most is his voice work in Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are (2009), the cult screen version of Maurice Sendak 's picture book classic – he voiced Carol, one of the wild things, an untamed, foul-mouthed figure.
  • (4) Sow had a couple of chances and the substitute Emmanuel Emenike drew a sharp last-minute save out of Szczesny but Giroud's penalty, after Kadlec's foul on Walcott, represented Arsenal's emphatic final word.
  • (5) The home team's defence had been undermined by naivety and it was in evidence when Stepanov, already on a yellow card for a foul on McGeady and having been played into trouble, lunged for the ball only to be beaten to it by Keane.
  • (6) 1.56am GMT 49ers 17-13 Seahawks, 2:47, 3rd quarter Andy Lee is hit as he kicks and it's a five yard penalty rather than the personal foul you would get for crushing the punter.
  • (7) Anything that good for you might be expected to smell foul and come in a medicine bottle, but the Mediterranean diet is generally considered to be delicious, except by those who hate olive oil.
  • (8) Both Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are believed to have fallen foul of the FFP rules with sponsorship deals related to each clubs' owners.
  • (9) Already, opposition parties are crying foul over the draw-down of more than 80% of the national foreign reserves that were set up in 2012.
  • (10) The lecture worked and one of his substitutes, James Ward-Prowse, opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 56th minute following a reckless foul on Shane Long by Alex Bruce.
  • (11) Apart from that, nothing much to write home about, except that Whelan was lucky to escape a booking when he trod on Olivier Giroud's ankle and Erik Pieters possibly took the rap a few minutes later, picking up a caution for a less obvious foul on the same player.
  • (12) Williams said: "There is no doubt in my mind that you are a paedophile who has for some time harboured sexual and morbid fantasies about young girls, storing on your laptop not only images of pre-pubescent and pubescent girls, but foul pornography of the gross sexual abuse of young children."
  • (13) He's fouled out on the right, and takes the free kick very quickly, taking advantage of a wandering Krol, but the referee deems the kick was not take from the right place, and was probably moving as well.
  • (14) Guardian US environment correspondent Suzanne Goldenberg looked at the role cities would have to play in reducing emissions: At-risk cities hold solutions to climate change: UN report It is already taking shape as the 21st century urban nightmare: a big storm hits a city like Shanghai, Mumbai, Miami or New York, knocking out power supply and waste treatment plants, washing out entire neighbourhoods and marooning the survivors in a toxic and foul-smelling swamp.
  • (15) Business leaders sometimes fall foul of the regime in autocratic countries such as China, and when they do, they risk having their assets appropriated by the state .
  • (16) The Brazilians could delight in keep-ball thereafter, Benítez pointing to time-wasting tactics and plenty of rolling around at hints of fouls, with frustration eventually bubbling over.
  • (17) That would be strike out it seems, as Napoli foul-tips one into the catcher's mitt, the first strikeout for Matt Moore.
  • (18) Resembling a billhook, with Foule Crag its wickedly curved tip, this final flourish looks daunting but can be skirted to one side, up awkward slabs.
  • (19) 12.17am GMT Cardinals 0 - Red Sox 0, bottom of the 1st Dustin Pedroia hits a long long fly that's hooking hooking... foul.
  • (20) 1.06am GMT Red Sox 0 - Cardinals 0, bottom of the 3rd And Clay faces Lance Lynn to start off the third, and the Superman-character named pitcher works a decent at-bat, working the count to 2-2 and then fouling off the next two pitches and taking ball three to a full count.