befoul C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /bɪˈfaʊl/ UK /bɪˈfaʊl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to make dirty or pollute Industrial runoff befouled the once-clear river. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to make dirty or pollute pollutedirtysoilcontaminatesullyfoultaint ↔ Opposites cleansepurifyclean Word family Derived forms befouledbefoulingbefoulment Related forms foulfilth Etymology AI details From the intensive prefix be- + foul. Foul is from Old English fūl ('rotten, unclean'), from Proto-Germanic *fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European *puH- ('to rot, stink'). be- Old English fūl Old English *puH- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # befoul **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /bɪˈfaʊl/ **IPA (UK):** /bɪˈfaʊl/ ## Meanings 1. to make dirty or pollute ## Examples - Industrial runoff befouled the once-clear river. ## Synonyms - pollute - dirty - soil - contaminate - sully - foul - taint ## Antonyms - cleanse - purify - clean ## Derived Forms - befouled - befouling - befoulment ## Related Forms - foul - filth ## Roots and Affixes - Root: be- - Root: fūl - Root: *puH- ## Etymology From the intensive prefix be- + foul. Foul is from Old English fūl ('rotten, unclean'), from Proto-Germanic *fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European *puH- ('to rot, stink'). ## AI Etymology Befoul is from the intensive prefix be- + foul. Foul is from Old English fūl ('rotten, unclean'), from Proto-Germanic *fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European *puH- ('to rot, stink'). In present-day use, it means to make dirty or pollute. Derived formations include befouled, befouling, and befoulment. Related vocabulary includes foul and filth. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown