cry foul

cry foul
idiom
chiefly US
: to complain that someone has done something that is not fair
When her parents gave her a new bicycle, her sisters cried foul.


Examples of cry foul in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And the somewhat higher margins in Arizona, Georgia, et al. would foreclose any serious attempt to cry foul.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 7 July 2023
Republicans have contended the grants bankrolled an unfair turn-out-the-vote operation for Democrats and have said Democrats would cry foul if conservative groups gave similar donations to areas dominated by Republicans.
—Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2021
Orange County officials cry foul following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to move the region into the most restrictive reopening tier.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2020
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cry foul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.



Dictionary Entries Near cry foul
cry for the moon

cry foul

crying


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“Cry foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cry. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.

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