Jump to:

• ford
  ford

  noun

  a place where a river or other body of water is shallow enough to be crossed by wading.
• Ford
  Ford

  noun

  Elizabeth Bloomer Betty, 1918–2011, U.S. First Lady 1974–77 (wife of Gerald R. Ford).

ford

¹ American  

[fawrd, fohrd] / fɔrd, foʊrd /

noun

1. a place where a river or other body of water is shallow enough to be crossed by wading.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to cross (a river, stream, etc.) at a ford.

Ford ² American  

[fawrd, fohrd] / fɔrd, foʊrd /

noun

1. Elizabeth Bloomer Betty, 1918–2011, U.S. First Lady 1974–77 (wife of Gerald R. Ford).

2. Ford Madox Ford Madox Hueffer, 1873–1939, English novelist, poet, critic, and editor.

3. Gerald R(udolph, Jr.) Leslie Lynch King, Jr., 1913–2006, U.S. political leader: congressman 1948–73; vice president 1973–74; 38th president of the U.S. 1974–77.

4. Guy Stanton, 1873–1963, U.S. historian, educator, and editor.

5. Henry, 1863–1947, U.S. automobile manufacturer.

6. John, 1586?–c1640, English playwright.

7. John Sean O'Feeney, 1895–1973, U.S. film director.

8. a male given name.

---

Ford ¹ British  

/ fɔːd /

noun

1. Ford Maddox (ˈmædəks) original name Ford Madox Hueffer . 1873–1939, English novelist, editor, and critic; works include The Good Soldier (1915) and the war tetralogy Parade's End (1924–28).

2. Gerald R ( udolph ). 1913–2006, US politician; 38th president of the US (1974–77)

3. Harrison . born 1942, US film actor. His films include Star Wars (1977) and its sequels, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and its sequels, Bladerunner (1982), Clear and Present Danger (1994), and What Lies Beneath (2000)

4. Henry . 1863–1947, US car manufacturer, who pioneered mass production

5. John . 1586–?1639, English dramatist; author of revenge tragedies such as 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1633)

6. John , real name Sean O'Feeney . 1895–1973, US film director, esp of Westerns such as Stagecoach (1939) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

---

ford ² British  

/ fɔːd /

noun

1. a shallow area in a river that can be crossed by car, horseback, etc

---

verb

1. (tr) to cross (a river, brook, etc) over a shallow area

Other Word Forms

• fordable
  adjective
• unfordable
  adjective
• unforded
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ford

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Old Frisian forda, German Furt; akin to Old Norse fjǫrthr, fare, port ¹

Explanation

When you’re out hiking in the wilderness, you may have to ford a river if there’s no bridge. Roll up your pant legs because you'll have to wade through the water at a shallow point. The verb ford describes crossing a body of water on foot at a shallow point or driving across it in a vehicle. The idea is that you’re not using a bridge or a boat to cross the water. Ford also has a noun form, meaning a shallow point in a river or stream. So if you ever have to ford a river, make sure you cross at the ford — the shallow point — or you could get very wet.

Example Sentences

Ford added: "It is predominantly fast food outlets – not too far from here, we have two main ones. So this whole area here is littered all the time."

From BBC • May 6, 2026

While Tesla recalled 219,000 vehicles, Ford recalled almost 10 million cars in 2026, highlighting recalls as common industry practice.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

Sunday when a sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop of a gray Ford pickup truck for vehicle code violations near the intersection of 104th Street and Hawthorne Avenue in Lennox.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

“With oil price spikes in 2007-2008, there were waitlists for the Toyota Prius hybrid, but by 2016 when prices fell, Ford saw record sales of F-150s,” Medlock said.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

Ford is still crying and thrashing, wanting to go with them.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Related Words

• cruise
• cut across
• navigate
• pass over
• ply
• sail
• span
• traverse