Synonyms

afoul

American

[uh-foul] / əˈfaʊl /

adverb

in a state of collision or entanglement.

a ship with its shrouds afoul.

idioms

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.

afoul British

/ əˈfaʊl /

adverb

(usually foll by of) in or into a state of difficulty, confusion, or conflict (with)
(often foll by of) in or into an entanglement or collision (with) (often in the phrase run afoul of )

a yacht with its sails afoul
the boat ran afoul of a steamer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of afoul

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Police said last week they were looking into the reports that Mountbatten-Windsor may have run afoul of laws governing conduct in a public office.

From The Wall Street Journal

His publications were wildly popular, but he repeatedly ran afoul of Beijing.

From The Wall Street Journal

But if they cede too much responsibility to AI, that could lead to deficiencies in critical regulations and run afoul of a requirement that federal rules be built on reasoned decision-making.

From Salon

Countries that fear falling afoul of Western sanctions have been buying gold rather than dollars for their foreign-exchange reserves for several years.

From The Wall Street Journal

The problem was that the unusual setup ran afoul of NFL governance rules.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023