foul air

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   air that is dirty, stale or contains harmful gas, and is unpleasant or dangerous to breathe.

   Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural: the foul air, some foul air.

   Patterns

   • breathe in foul air
   • foul air in something
   • be overcome by foul air

   The miners had to leave the tunnel because the foul air made them dizzy.

   Open the windows; after a whole night with the heating on, the room is full of foul air.

   Inspectors found foul air trapped in the old drains under the street.

2. 2noununcountable

   a strong, unpleasant smell coming from a place or from something that has gone bad.

   Grammar: Often used with 'of': the foul air of a rubbish dump.

   Patterns

   • the foul air of something
   • a smell of foul air

   A foul air rose from the pond in the summer heat.

   We could not eat in the kitchen because of the foul air coming from the bin.

Common combinations

foul air in a mine

Old safety lamps were designed to warn workers about foul air in a mine.

breathe foul air

People who breathe foul air every day often develop lung problems.

the foul air of the city

She left the foul air of the city for a cottage in the hills.

clear the foul air

They opened both doors to clear the foul air out of the shed.

Synonyms and how they differ

fumes

Fumes are gases or smoke given off by chemicals or engines; foul air is broader and can simply mean stale or dirty air.

stench

A stench is only about a terrible smell, while foul air may also be dangerous to breathe.

miasma

Miasma is an old-fashioned, literary word for unhealthy air; use 'foul air' for everyday or technical writing.

Opposites

Word family

foul adjective

dirty, smelly or disgusting

foul-smelling adjective

having a very bad smell

Commonly confused: foul air or fowl?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “foul air”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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