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View synonyms for afoul

afoul

[ uh-foul ]

adverb

  1. in a state of collision or entanglement:

    a ship with its shrouds afoul.



afoul

/ əˈfaʊl /

adverb

  1. usually foll by of in or into a state of difficulty, confusion, or conflict (with)
  2. often foll by of in or into an entanglement or collision (with) (often in the phrase run afoul of )

    the boat ran afoul of a steamer

    a yacht with its sails afoul

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of afoul1

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10; a- 1 + foul
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. run / come / fall afoul of,
    1. to become entangled with:

      The boat ran afoul of the seaweed.

    2. to come into conflict with:

      The business had fallen afoul of the new government regulations.

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Example Sentences

It seems that the company had run afoul of the agency’s stringent rules regulating formula intended for infants.

From Fortune

Also, be aware that no matter where you host the stream, you are probably running afoul of copyright laws if you play any music.

Ant, for its part, seemed to run afoul of Beijing in two ways.

From Fortune

If a payment could run afoul of the rules, companies must submit requests for exemption.

From Fortune

For decades, it was political death to run afoul of the police and their powerful unions.

For all its flagrant indiscretions, though, FIFA has never run afoul of the law.

Back in the 1990s, he ran afoul of the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO), the certifying organization for his specialty.

The tax-exempt donations do not appear to run afoul of U.S. law.

To destroy the guy in the court of public opinion may run afoul of [legal ethics].

It also remains unclear whether traditional practices such as aging tobacco in cedar or other woods might run afoul of the ban.

"He's certainly fallen afoul of some mighty tough luck," went on Dick.

They were so thick that many appeared to be afoul of one another; now all standing on this tack, now on that.

All I hope for now is that we dont run afoul of some half-sunken rock, or it may be a snag!

A big flock of them ran afoul of the tower and were dazed by the lights.

And even when the feller got afoul of him, the chances are the old land-pirut would steal the brick.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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