foul line

noun

1

: either of two straight lines extending from the rear corner of home plate through the outer corners of first and third base respectively and prolonged to the boundary of a baseball field

2

: a line across a bowling alley that a player must not step over when delivering the ball

3

: either of two lines on a basketball court parallel to and 15 feet from the backboards behind which a player must stand while shooting a free throw

Examples of foul line in a Sentence

The ball landed just inside the right-field foul line.

Recent Examples on the Web

Although he was ejected, Herro finished the game as Miami's leading scorer, with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field (3-of-7 from long range) and 4-of-7 shooting from the foul line. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024

On the other end, Brunson thrived, scoring 31 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including 11-of-14 from the foul line. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 Dec. 2024

Entering Wednesday, all 69 of Paredes’ career homers were to left field or left-center, and most were toward the foul line. —Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 24 July 2024

Oregon State shot 24 for 52 (46.2%) from the field, 6 for 17 from 3-point range and 13 for 17 from the foul line. —Staff and News Service Reports, Orange County Register, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

foul line

noun

1

: either of two straight lines running from the rear corner of home plate through first and third base on to the boundary of a baseball field

2

: a line across which a player must not step (as when bowling or shooting a free throw)