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fog bank

American  

noun

  1. a stratum of fog as seen from a distance.


fog bank British  

noun

  1. a distinct mass of fog, esp at sea

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fog bank

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“It would have been dangerous because of the steep slopes, and it would be going up into the fog bank and then back down out of the fog. So it was inherently dangerous,” Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 25, 2026

But this isn’t a legally enforceable standard—it’s a verbal fog bank.

From Slate Dec. 6, 2023

WINTHROP, Wash. — On the worst days, and there have been many, one can see nothing but white — a hot, suffocating fog bank that smells of burning wood and blots out the sun.

From Washington Post Aug. 7, 2021

It's like trying to land a plane when your radar is broken and there's a fog bank ahead.

From Salon Mar. 28, 2020

What is meant to sound like an antislavery argument transforms itself in midpassage into a verbal fog bank that descends over the entire subject like a cloud.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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