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

Word History and Origins

Origin of afoul¹

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

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.

Example Sentences

Two hundred years later, around the time of Leonardo’s late-15th century arrest, fully one-quarter of the city’s male population — hundreds of men every year — had run afoul of the antisodomy laws.

From Los Angeles Times

According to the lawsuit, the law runs afoul of free speech protections in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Even worse, Kalmus said, Trump and his economic adviser Tesla CEO Elon Musk are going to take the ax to countless unrelated science initiatives that run afoul of their political positions.

From Salon

These media outlets are businesses and they don't want to run afoul of Trump.

From Salon

"His offer is only open to registered voters, so I think his offer runs afoul of this provision," Mr Berman told the BBC.

From BBC