fog

play

noun \ ˈfȯg , fäg \

Definition of fog

1 a :vapor condensed to fine particles of water suspended in the lower atmosphere that differs from cloud only in being near the ground

b :a fine spray or a foam for firefighting

2 :a murky condition of the atmosphere or a substance causing it

3 a :a state of confusion or bewilderment

spent the morning in a fog

b :something that confuses or obscures

hid behind a fog of rhetoric

4 :cloudiness or partial opacity in a developed photographic image caused by chemical action or stray radiation

—

fogless

play \ˈfȯg-ləs, ˈfäg-\ adjective

See fog defined for English-language learners

See fog defined for kids

Examples of fog in a Sentence

Heavy fog made it difficult to see the road.
a climate marked by heavy fogs
The fog reduced visibility to a quarter of a mile.
This problem has me in a fog.

Recent Examples of fog from the Web

A humidity and windshield-temperature sensor automatically dispersed air to remove moisture when fog was detected.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "New GMC Acadia Denali version gives this SUV the royal treatment," 25 Aug. 2017
Clouds and fog of the early morning added five hundred percent to the inky depth of the shadow.

— magner white, sandiegouniontribune.com, "From the archives: When it was midnight at midday!," 17 Aug. 2017
When night descended, a freezing fog filled the bus.

— leighshulman, Longreads, "In Foreign Territory, Wondering: Who is the Alpha Monkey?," 8 Aug. 2017
In the fog and numbness that left her feeling like a zombie following Eric’s abrupt death in February from a ruptured brain aneurysm, that seemingly subtle gesture of years before became infinitely more profound.

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "As an organ donor, Eric Driskell’s final acts gave new life to others," 4 Aug. 2017
A fog surrounds those doing business with the Trumps, too.

— The Economist, "Not one to avoid a conflictHow Donald Trump is monetising his presidency," 20 July 2017
There’s a shot after the opening storm scene where fog is creeping down from the mountains and over the lake.

— taylor bruce, Southern Living, "Shreveport's Big Movie Boom," 11 July 2017
There was a little fog in the morning, then the breeze off the ocean.

— phil diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "That's a lot of funnel cakes — San Diego County Fair just misses new attendance record," 5 July 2017
The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off through low-lying fog at 1:25 p.m. PDT from Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles.

— Bloomberg.com, "SpaceX Launches 10 Satellites From California Air Base," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fog.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fog

probably back-formation from foggy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1544

See Words from the same year

fog Synonyms

Synonyms

daze, dazedness, haze, muddle, spin, swoon

Related Words

reverie, stupor, trance; befuddlement, bewilderment, perplexity, puzzlement; delirium, malaise, paralysis; cloudiness, fogginess

Near Antonyms

alertness, levelheadedness

fog

verb

Definition of fog

fogged; fogging

transitive verb

1 :to cover, envelop, or suffuse with or as if with fog

fog the barns with pesticide

2 :to make obscure or confusing

accusations which fogged the real issues

3 :to make confused

4 :to produce fog on (something, such as a photographic film) during development

intransitive verb

1 :to become covered or thick with fog

2 a :to become blurred by a covering of fog or mist

b :to become indistinct through exposure to light or radiation

See fog defined for English-language learners

Examples of fog in a Sentence

The steam from the pot was fogging the window near the stove.
The bathroom was all fogged up after my shower.
politicians who try to fog the issue instead of taking a stand

Recent Examples of fog from the Web

How her face had fogged over at yet another humiliation, yet another corner of the universe that hated us.

— Teen Vogue, "Lit Club Winners: First Day of School," 29 Aug. 2017
The odds say that the NL wild card race is just about over, with the Diamondbacks (94.4%) and Rockies (83.4%) rating as heavy favorites, with the Cardinals (six games back, 8.0%) and Brewers (seven back, 4.6%) barely fogging the mirror.

— jay jaffe, SI.com, "Where Have All The Races Gone? Dominant Teams Putting Damper On Drama," 10 Aug. 2017
The vehicle windows were fogged up and cracked open, and police forced their way into the car at 7:48 p.m., about 10 minutes after mall security found the dog inside, police said.

— chuck fieldman, chicagotribune.com, "Glen Ellyn woman charged after dog dies in car at Oakbrook Center," 21 July 2017
The image below was taken in New Zealand: Clouds clearing, lens de-fogged, #Aurora pulsing…

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "Photos: Solar storm spurs dazzling northern lights," 17 July 2017
By that point, the train’s windows had fogged up from the heat.

— martine powers, Washington Post, "This nightmare commute on New York’s F Train sounds an awful lot like Metro," 6 June 2017
For privacy, a switch electronically fogs the windows.

— stefanie waldek, USA TODAY, "America’s most luxurious hotel bathrooms," 3 May 2017
Other brand sunglasses were always slipping off the nose or fogging up.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Marine veteran entrepreneur launches sunglasses company in Palm Beach County," 28 Apr. 2017
The script is a knowing Gothic riff, but Mike Donahue’s heavy-footed direction, which keeps pausing to re-fog the stage, overemphasizes its archness, rendering this playfully macabre pastiche strangely leaden.

— The New Yorker, "The Moors," 31 Mar. 2017

First Known Use of fog

circa 1592

fog Synonyms

Synonyms

becloud, befog, blur, cloud, confuse, muddy, obfuscate

Antonyms

clarify, clear (up), illuminate

Related Words

complicate, perplex, sophisticate; entangle, snarl, tangle; disarrange, disarray, discompose, dishevel, disorder, disrupt, disturb, jumble, mess (up), mix (up), muddle, scramble, shuffle, tousle, upset

Near Antonyms

simplify, streamline; disentangle, straighten (out), undo, unravel, unscramble, untangle; decipher, decode; analyze, break down

FOG Defined for English Language Learners

fog

play

noun

Definition of fog for English Language Learners

: many small drops of water floating in the air above the ground, the sea, etc.
: a state of mental confusion

fog

verb

Definition of fog for English Language Learners

: to cover or fill (something) with small drops of water : to make (something) foggy
: to become foggy
: to make (someone or something) confused

FOG Defined for Kids

fog

play

noun \ ˈfȯg , ˈfäg \

Definition of fog for Students

1 :tiny drops of water floating in the air at or near the ground

2 :a confused state of mind

I woke up in a fog.

fog

verb

Definition of fog for Students

fogged; fogging

:to cover or become covered with tiny drops of water Steam from the shower fogged the mirror.

Medical Dictionary

fog

play

transitive verb \ ˈfäg, ˈfȯg \

medical Definition of fog

fogged; fogging

:to blur (a visual field) with lenses that prevent a sharp focus in order to relax accommodation before testing vision

Learn More about fog

See words that rhyme with fog Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fog Spanish Central: Translation of fog Nglish: Translation of fog for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fog for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fog

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up fog? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

fog

Definition of fog

fogless

Read the Latest from M-W

Examples of fog in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fog from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fog

fog Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

fog

Definition of fog

Examples of fog in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fog from the Web

First Known Use of fog

fog Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to FOG

Related Phrases

FOG Defined for English Language Learners

fog

Definition of fog for English Language Learners

fog

Definition of fog for English Language Learners

FOG Defined for Kids

fog

Definition of fog for Students

fog

Definition of fog for Students

Medical Dictionary

fog

medical Definition of fog

Learn More about fog

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066