Phrase guide

fog of war

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The shrouded concealment of enemy activity outside of areas observable by a player's forces.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: video-games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Calque of German Nebel des Krieges, an expression coined by Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: ضباب الحرب — Translations
  • Dutch: oorlogsmist — Translations
  • Finnish: sodan usva — Translations
  • German: Nebel des Krieges — Translations
  • German: Kriegsnebel — Translations
  • Latin: cālīgō bellica — Translations
  • Polish: mgła wojny — Translations
  • Swedish: krigsdimma — Translations