mackerel sky

noun

: a sky covered with rows of altocumulus or cirrocumulus clouds resembling the patterns on a mackerel's back

Examples of mackerel sky in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On a recent, unseasonably warm winter day, with a mackerel sky hanging over the property, Stan and Tina Ledgerwood talked about what brought them back to the farm. Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 6 May 2024 This is certainly true of another of his award-winning shots, which shows a racehorse silhouetted against a stunning mackerel sky. Ben Church, CNN, 5 Dec. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mackerel sky was in 1667

Dictionary Entries Near mackerel sky

Cite this Entry

“Mackerel sky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mackerel%20sky. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

mackerel sky

noun
: a sky covered with rows of clouds resembling the patterns on a mackerel's back
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