BEFOUL Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

befoul

verb

bi-ˈfau̇(-ə)l

Definition of befoul

as in to stain

to make dirty unsightly mud and slush befouls the family car every winter

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to pollute

to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable the enemy had befouled the water in all of the area's wells with animal carcasses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of befoul They should not be thrown, jumped off, eaten, screamed at, or otherwise befouled. — Eddie Small, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026 The natural world may be past saving, particularly as a habitat for the species that has so utterly befouled it, and, yet, what else is there to do but keep on keeping on? — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025 Capitalism is degrading us, killing us and befouling our world. — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8 June 2023 This roman à clef series begins with the patriarch of the Roy clan, Logan (Brian Cox), urinating on a carpet (evoking The Big Lebowski, befouling us). — Armond White, National Review, 5 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for befoul

Recent Examples of Synonyms for befoul

Verb

The armpits of the Quran shirt are stained with centuries-old sweat.

— Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
In 2005, a vote-buying scheme known as Mensalão led to the conviction of senior PT figures and stained the party’s image.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of stain

Verb

When those waters are polluted, the damage is not confined to a technical measurement in a permit or a line on a monitoring report.

— Dana Adkins, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Norway rats can transmit diseases to humans and other animals, damage property, and pollute food.

— Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of pollute

Verb

As the balloon and its occupants fell to the ground, the nylon envelope and the gondola separated, and the wreckage scattered over a roughly 100-yard area, parts of it blackened by the explosion and resulting fire.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
The shrinking process had exaggerated some features, vanished others, and blackened the flesh.

— Daniel Barnum, Longreads, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of blacken

Verb

Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Seaver is also named in a lawsuit accusing him of threatening to sully his aunt’s legacy and harm her employees, according to documents viewed by People.

— Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of sully

Verb

Our nation’s capital is besmirched, on his say-so, with signs and banners bearing his likeness and name.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Troubled by all the people besmirching the occupation, a group of agents formed a national trade group in 1908—the one eventually known as NAR.

— Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of besmirch

Verb

The problem is best corrected through adjustments to soil pH, though applications of iron also help.

— Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026
Emily Cassidy, research associate at climate solutions nonprofit Project Drawdown, said composting offers the dual benefits of reducing landfill methane emissions and, once the composting process is complete, returning nutrients to soil.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of soil

Verb

Why, then, with so much at stake in November, would one of Pelosi‘s last acts before retirement be mucking about in the elbow-throwing, bone-crunching race between the two San Francisco Democrats vying to succeed her in January?

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
He's been mucking about with them for going on 60 years, and decided to enter the contest for the first time in 2025.

— Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of muck

Browse Nearby Words

before long

befoul

befouled

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“Befoul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befoul. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of befoul

verb

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