afoul
afoul Lexical Profile
afoul Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
Into conflict, difficulty, or entanglement (most commonly used in the phrase "run afoul of").
"Many early journalists ran afoul of government censors when they published critical editorials."
Into a physical collision or tangled state, especially of ships, cables, or rigging.
"During the heavy gale, the fishing trawler drifted afoul of the harbor buoy and damaged its hull."
• adjective
In a state of conflict, violation, or entanglement, especially with laws, rules, or authority (used only predicatively).
"The small business found itself afoul of the new environmental regulations after failing to file the updated paperwork."
Word Nuance & Usage
Today, "afoul" is used almost exclusively in the prepositional idiom "run (or fall) afoul of," meaning to come into conflict with rules, laws, or authorities; as an adjective, it can only be used predicatively after a linking verb.
• Rhymes for afoul
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the early 17th century as a nautical term meaning entangled or in collision, formed from the prefix "a-" (in a state of) and "foul" (entangled, obstructed).