fjord
Americannoun
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a long, narrow arm of the sea bordered by steep cliffs: usually formed by glacial erosion.
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(in Scandinavia) a bay.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of fjord
From Norwegian; see origin at 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.”
Vocabulary lists containing fjord
Physical Geography - Middle School
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Physical Geography - High School
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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:
And the team’s official World Cup photo features the players dressed as Nordic warriors, weapons in hand, posed before a scenic fjord with long boats in the background.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
The idea for the epic photograph originated during an international break in 2023, when Yarrow shot Haaland alone in Viking dress, waist-deep in an Oslo fjord.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Bluie East Two sits at the end of a fjord, far from the nearest settlement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
Here in Kapisillit in western Greenland, a cluster of coloured houses cling to the hillside in a frozen fjord.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
The exciting new boat made it possible for us to go much farther afield, and every day we would travel far out into the fjord, hunting for a different island.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
It was only a few days ago that the horde from the fjords was in Boston taking over the subway system before their team’s first match, a 4-1 victory over Iraq.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Instead, the squad headed to one of the country's famed fjords to be snapped head-to-toe in authentic Viking dress, with weapons and shields to boot.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
"Normally the seals are on the ice or in the more calm waters. But today we had to sail all the way into the fjords to find them," the 37-year-old tells AFP.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
Now they are powering ferries in Norway’s fjords and container ships on China’s rivers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
Deep in Madame’s voice, Marie-Laure hears water: atolls and archipelagoes and lagoons and fjords.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
