Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

fjord

American  
[fyawrd, fyohrd, fyohr, fyoor] / fyɔrd, fyoʊrd, fyoʊr, fyʊər /
Or fiord

noun

  1. a long, narrow arm of the sea bordered by steep cliffs: usually formed by glacial erosion.

  2. (in Scandinavia) a bay.

fjord British  
/ fjɔːd /

noun

  1. (esp on the coast of Norway) a long narrow inlet of the sea between high steep cliffs formed by glacial action

"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
fjord Scientific  
/ fyôrd /

  1. A long, narrow, deep inlet from the sea between steep slopes of a mountainous coast. Fjords usually occur where ocean water flows into valleys formed near the coast by glaciers.

Other Word Forms

  • fjordic adjective

Etymology

Origin of fjord

From Norwegian; firth

Explanation

A fjord is a long, narrow strip of sea that falls between tall cliffs. If you’re traveling in Norway you might be amazed by the rocky cliffs surrounding the deep water of a fjord. A fjord is formed when a slow moving glacier carves out a valley in the earth that then becomes flooded by ocean water. Tall cliffs surrounding a narrow band of water make fjords look very dramatic. Fjords are common in countries like Norway, Iceland, and Greenland. The word fjord gets its looks from its Norwegian origins. Pronounce this funny looking word with a long “e” sound and the accent on the first syllable: “FEE-ord.”

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing fjord

Physical Geography - Middle School

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Physical Geography - High School

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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.

Bluie East Two sits at the end of a fjord, far from the nearest settlement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

"In winter, everything is white, and if you are flying in a helicopter, for example, and have to monitor an area, you cannot see if a snowmobile has been driven down to a fjord."

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

They placed a ten-kilometer-long fiber-optic cable on the seafloor across the fjord in front of the Eqalorutsit Kangilliit Sermiat glacier.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2025

Blanchett even took her family to the Arctic Circle over New Year’s and they all leapt into a fjord.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2025

Worsley, Vincent, Crean, and McCarthy took turns at their two oars, pulling the boat forward and trying to get into the long fjord.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.