🏀 Free throw line 🎳 Bowling boundary ⚾ Field boundary

foul line

1 3.8

A line on a bowling lane that a player must not cross when they throw

noun

: línea de falta

He stepped over the foul line during his delivery.

Examples

She carefully approached the foul line before releasing the ball.
The foul line is clearly marked to ensure fair play in bowling tournaments.
If your foot crosses the foul line, your throw is not counted.
The foul line is clearly marked on the alley.
She carefully aligned her feet behind the foul line before rolling the bowling ball down the alley.
During the game, the referee called a foul because the player stepped over the foul line while delivering the ball.
To ensure accuracy, the coach reminded his team to stay behind the foul line when taking their turns.

Synonyms

service line

vsfoul line

Jargon

3.0

A line at the back of a tennis or handball court that a player must not cross when serving

is on the lane marking where the bowler must not step when delivering

Surface Forms

foul line singular

foul lines plural

Morphology

foul + line

The compound is compositionally built from 'foul' (relating to a rule-breaking or undesirable state) + 'line' (a boundary or mark), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a boundary associated with fouls. However, the precise function and placement of the foul line are baseball-specific and the sense of 'foul' here is specialized, so the meaning is not fully predictable without sport knowledge.

Etymology

Foul line comes from the bowling rule: it is the line you must not cross when you throw the ball. If you step over the foul line, the throw is 'not counted', so the name tells you where a fault happens.