befoul

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /bɪˈfaʊl/ UK /bɪˈfaʊl/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to make dirty or pollute

Industrial runoff befouled the once-clear river.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make dirty or pollute pollute dirty soil contaminate sully foul taint

Opposites

cleanse purify clean

Word family

Derived forms befouledbefoulingbefoulment

Related forms foul filth

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').

be- Old English fūl Old English *puH- Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Describing Qualities

# 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

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befoul

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