1
as in staining
to make dirty
unsightly mud and slush befouls the family car every winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluting
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
the enemy had befouled the water in all of the area's wells with animal carcasses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befouling
Verb
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Holevich adds that cleaning these surfaces promptly will help prevent long-term staining and lingering odors.—
Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 7 Jan. 2026
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Foods like tomato sauce and chocolate can cause staining if they aren't wiped up right away.—
Verb
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The evidence is overwhelming and very difficult for high-polluting foreign governments to credibly challenge.—
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Some in the industry are frustrated, saying opponents are spreading falsehoods about data centers — such as polluting water and air — and are difficult to overcome.—
Verb
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High-Heat-Safe Alternatives While enameled cast-iron cookware is excellent to use for braising, roasting, baking, or gentle stovetop cooking, certain high heat applications like searing steak or blackening fish are best done in other types of pans, like traditional cast iron or stainless steel.—
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Each footstep sent up clouds of dust and ash, coating everything, including my mouth and teeth, in fine grit, blackening my snot and saliva.—
Verb
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In one case, in the year before Makandal’s death, a servant in Saint-Domingue named Médor was arrested for poisoning his enslaver to obtain his freedom.—
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In a recent study, however, researchers at Yale found that interoception helped mice avoid poisoning themselves.—
Verb
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Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.—
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Amazon shoppers are also going after this top-selling nonstick frying pan that’s great for eggs, chicken breasts, and other hard-to-flip foods, as well as this immersion blender that can churn soups and sauces into a creamy texture without dirtying another vessel.—
Verb
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Part of the art of airing dirty laundry lies in sullying oneself in the process.—
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The problem is, people were drinking a lot of bad ones, sullying their opinion of the drink.—
Verb
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On TikTok, as The Washington Post has reported, some creators are making $5,000 a month using AI tools to write scripts and animate extremely dumb viral videos where old men talk about soiling themselves.—
Verb
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Famously, the British press conspired to draw the dramatist’s name through the mud, besmirching his literary legacy for generations to follow.—
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Cite this Entry
“Befouling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befouling. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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