1
as in to stain
to make dirty
unsightly mud and slush befouls the family car every winter
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2
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
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Recent Examples of befoul
Hundreds of women will dress up against the cold on a gray November day to protest a pipeline that could befoul their water and will almost certainly lead to the final befouling of the planet.
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Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2022
But dip even the most blood-befouled corset in a tub of warm water and swish, swish, swish — Lucy’s lace nightgown, or a doctor’s lab coat — is restored to its original snowy sheen.
—Mary Carole McCauley, baltimoresun.com, 24 Oct. 2019
The poison of authoritarianism is as pervasive as the cloud of sulfur dioxide that befouled the air in East Germany.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 26 Feb. 2020
Michael Kuta, 26, of the 700 block of South Addison Avenue, Villa Park, was cited for disorderly conduct – befouling property at 1:15 a.m. Nov. 28 after he was observed urinating on bushes in the 100 block of South York Street.
—Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, 6 Dec. 2019
See all Example Sentences for befoul 
Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2022
But dip even the most blood-befouled corset in a tub of warm water and swish, swish, swish — Lucy’s lace nightgown, or a doctor’s lab coat — is restored to its original snowy sheen.
—Mary Carole McCauley, baltimoresun.com, 24 Oct. 2019
The poison of authoritarianism is as pervasive as the cloud of sulfur dioxide that befouled the air in East Germany.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 26 Feb. 2020
Michael Kuta, 26, of the 700 block of South Addison Avenue, Villa Park, was cited for disorderly conduct – befouling property at 1:15 a.m. Nov. 28 after he was observed urinating on bushes in the 100 block of South York Street.
—Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, 6 Dec. 2019
See all Example Sentences for befoul
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befoul
Verb
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Sometimes, traffickers stain ivory to look like wood or coat it in chocolate to make it through inspections.Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
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A number of the belongings appeared to be stained with blood.Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Commercial gift wraps can include glitter, which contains microplastics that pollute U.S. waters.Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Nov. 2024
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Yet the literal tons of trash annually left by rivers and overpasses can also pollute waterways, to say nothing of the fire risk.Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Characters like Felix and Oswald have kind of an unfortunate connection to theater insofar as they’re associated with blackface minstrelsy—the notoriously racist form of stage performance where actors would blacken their faces, wear white gloves, and perform clownish antics.Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2024
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Eventually, Dad needed to referee, settling disputes and trying to end things before noses were bloodied and eyes were blackened.Chad Graff, The Athletic, 12 Aug. 2024
Verb
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Instead, Walz seems to have little to say about factory farming dirtying the state’s waterways.Kenny Torrella, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 July 2024
Verb
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Not even a string of disappointing sequels, two bad movies, and odd franchise pivots by Konami has sullied its renown.Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
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The incident — which revived memories of a massive 3-million-gallon spill almost 50 years earlier — sullied some of the state’s most pristine beaches and a rare stretch of undeveloped coastline.Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
Verb
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There’s a new promo picture going around showing a Dusty Milligan with facial hair (see: above) — and listen, not to besmirch his infinity-pool jawline, but the dude looks so much better with that scruff.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
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The Jefferson Council, a conservative alumni group, had been calling for an end or change to the tour program, insisting that volunteers had been wrongly besmirching the legacy of UVA's founder.David K. Li, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2024
Verb
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In addition to the body, the unfurnished apartment had soiled carpet and was infested with flies and roaches.Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 13 Nov. 2024
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The apartment was crawling with roaches and other bugs, swarming with flies and the carpets were soiled.David Matthews, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Mannie then interjected that social media has a habit of mucking things up.Angel Diaz, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2024
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No need to muck a barn or toss a bale of hay to wear one of the autumn'sbiggest trends — workwear is no longer for work’s sake (at least not exclusively).Aemilia Madden, refinery29.com, 21 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Befoul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befoul. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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