ford
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
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Elizabeth Bloomer Betty, 1918–2011, U.S. First Lady 1974–77 (wife of Gerald R. Ford).
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Ford Madox Ford Madox Hueffer, 1873–1939, English novelist, poet, critic, and editor.
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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.
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Guy Stanton, 1873–1963, U.S. historian, educator, and editor.
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Henry, 1863–1947, U.S. automobile manufacturer.
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John, 1586?–c1640, English playwright.
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John Sean O'Feeney, 1895–1973, U.S. film director.
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a male given name.
noun
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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).
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Gerald R ( udolph ). 1913–2006, US politician; 38th president of the US (1974–77)
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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)
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Henry . 1863–1947, US car manufacturer, who pioneered mass production
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John . 1586–?1639, English dramatist; author of revenge tragedies such as 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1633)
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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)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fordsimple
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fordssimple
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have fordedperfect
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has fordedperfect
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am fordingprogressive
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are fordingprogressive
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is fordingprogressive
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have been fordingperfect progressive
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has been fordingperfect progressive
Past
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fordedsimple
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had fordedperfect
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was fordingprogressive
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were fordingprogressive
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had been fordingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing ford
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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.
It is thought the former wing's vehicle was swept away while he tried to drive across a ford during Storm Darragh.
From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025
According to a council report, an average of 1,900 vehicles used to go down Rufford Lane every day before the ford closed.
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2024
However, some believe the dangers of the ford have been overstated.
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2024
But apart from the loss of an unlikely tourist attraction, are there downsides to closing the ford permanently?
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2024
There was a ford here and the stream ran tinkling over the dean stones, only a few inches deep.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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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.