afoul
/əˈfaʊl/ adverb
- adverb (archaic, principally nautical) In a state of collision or entanglement. “The ships’ lines and sails were all afoul.”
- adverb (with of) In a state of entanglement or conflict (with). “He had a knack for running afoul of the law.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From a- + foul.
Webster’s 1913
- adverb In collision; entangled. Totten. To run afoul of, to run against or come into collision with, especially so as to become entangled or to cause injury.
Etymology [Pref. a- + foul.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “afoul”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details