Meaning & use
foul trouble
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablesport
In basketball, a situation where a player has committed several fouls and risks being removed from the game.
Grammar: Uncountable; used in phrases like 'in foul trouble' without 'a'.
Patterns
- be in foul trouble
- get into foul trouble
- foul trouble early in the game
Their best player was in foul trouble, so the coach rested him for most of the second quarter.
She picked up two quick fouls and spent the rest of the half in foul trouble.
Common combinations
- in foul trouble
- The center was in foul trouble after committing his fourth foul.
- get into foul trouble
- If you get into foul trouble early, you have to play more carefully.
- foul trouble plagued the team
- Foul trouble plagued the team, and three starters sat on the bench.
Synonyms and how they differ
- penalty trouble
- Used in some other sports; not the usual term in basketball.
Word family
Commonly confused: foul trouble or foul play?
foul trouble vs foul play
'Foul play' means unfair or criminal behavior, not a sports penalty situation.
Practice
The point guard was in ______ after picking up her fifth foul.
Choose one answer.
'Foul trouble' is uncountable and used without an article, so 'in foul trouble' is correct. 'A foul trouble' and 'foul troubles' wrongly treat it as countable.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “foul trouble”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.