Meaning & use
fouled out
Last updated
“fouled out” is a form of “foul out”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbintransitivesport
In basketball, to be removed from the game after committing too many fouls.
Grammar: Intransitive; the subject is the player: 'He fouled out'.
Patterns
- foul out
- foul out of the game
- foul out with five fouls
He fouled out with two minutes left, and the team lost its best defender.
She fouled out after a controversial call by the referee.
Word forms
| base form | foul out |
|---|---|
| third person singular | fouls out |
| past tense | fouled out |
| past participle | fouled out |
| -ing form | fouling out |
Common combinations
- foul out of the game
- The star player fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter.
- foul out early
- If you foul out early, your team has to adjust.
- foul out with five fouls
- In college basketball, players foul out with five fouls.
Synonyms and how they differ
- be disqualified
- More general and formal; it can refer to any sport or contest, not just basketball fouls.
Word family
- foul noun
- An illegal action against an opponent in a sport.
- foul trouble noun
- The situation of having too many fouls and risking removal.
Commonly confused: fouled out or foul up?
fouled out vs foul up
'Foul up' means make a mistake; 'foul out' means be removed from a basketball game.
Practice
The team's top scorer ______ in the final minute after his sixth foul.
Choose one answer.
'Fouled out' is the correct basketball term for being removed after too many fouls. 'Fouled up' means made a mistake, and the other options are not standard phrasal verbs in this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fouled out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.