foul trouble

USAGE SUMMARY

"foul trouble" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing a player in sports, particularly basketball, who has accumulated too many fouls and may be at risk of being disqualified from the game. Example: "The star player was in foul trouble and had to sit out for most of the second half." Alternative expressions include "foul issues" and "foul difficulties."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

Foul trouble.

The New York Times - Sports

Stoudemire fell into foul trouble.

The New York Times - Sports

Another injury, foul trouble, could be devastating.

The New York Times - Sports

The fourth quarter brought foul trouble.

The New Yorker

The Knicks also encountered  foul trouble.

The New York Times - Sports

Foul trouble became "a foul situation".

The New York Times - Sports

Tyson Chandler battled foul trouble all night.

The New York Times - Sports

Louisville kept slipping into more foul trouble.

The New York Times - Sports

He'll have to avoid foul trouble.

The New York Times - Sports

Hopefully, get him in foul trouble.

The New York Times - Sports

UConn cannot afford injuries or foul trouble.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Integrate the phrase with active verbs like "fell into", "battled" or "encountered" to provide more narrative color to your sports writing.

Common error

While the words seem generic, do not use "foul trouble" to describe moral failings or general 'dirty' behavior in a business or personal context. It is an idiomatic sports term; in other areas, phrases like "legal trouble" or "ethical issues" are more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

In a sentence, "foul trouble" typically functions as a noun phrase, often serving as the object of a preposition (e.g., "in "foul trouble"") or the subject of a clause. Ludwig AI highlights its role as a status indicator for athletes in competitive environments.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Social Media

10%

Reference

5%

Less common in

Science

0.5%

Academia

1%

Formal & Business

3.5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In the world of sports journalism, "foul trouble" is an indispensable idiom used to describe the precarious state of a player nearing their disqualification limit. Ludwig shows that this phrase is almost exclusively found in professional news and media contexts, where it succinctly captures both the statistical reality and the tactical consequences of rules violations. Whether a player "falls into", "battles" or "survives" this situation, the phrase implies a significant impact on the game's momentum. According to Ludwig AI, the term is grammatically standard and highly effective for sports reporting, though it should be avoided in non-athletic contexts where it might be misunderstood. For better variety, writers might also consider alternatives like "foul issues" or "on the verge of fouling out" depending on the desired level of intensity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

foul issues

Provides a slightly broader and more clinical description of the problem.

foul difficulties

Uses a more formal noun to describe the struggle with officiating.

accumulating fouls

Focuses on the process of reaching the limit rather than the state of being in trouble.

verge of fouling out

Emphasizes the proximity to being disqualified from the game.

foul penalty

Refers to the consequence of the fouls rather than the strategic situation.

excessive fouling

Describes the action causing the situation rather than the state itself.

on the brink of disqualification

Uses more dramatic, high-stakes language common in play-by-play commentary.

personal foul count

A more literal and statistical way to refer to the player's status.

approaching the foul limit

Focuses on the mathematical proximity to the rules threshold.

foul situation

A more vague or general term used to describe the strategic impact of fouls.

FAQs

How do you use "foul trouble" in a sentence?

You can use it to explain why a star player is on the bench, for example: "The center was in "foul trouble" early in the first quarter and had to sit out for ten minutes".

What can I say instead of "foul trouble"?

You can use similar expressions like "foul issues", "foul difficulties" or simply say a player is "on the verge of fouling out".

Does "foul trouble" mean the player has already been ejected?

No, it specifically refers to the period before ejection where the player must play carefully to avoid a final disqualifying foul.

Is "foul trouble" used outside of basketball?

While most common in basketball, it is occasionally used in other sports with individual foul limits like water polo or certain amateur soccer leagues, though "disciplinary issues" is a more common broad term.