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Synonyms

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)

"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
ford 2 British  
/ fɔːd /

noun

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

"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

verb

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

"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

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

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

A water level indicator at the ford showed the river was still around one foot deep, but it would have been much higher at the weekend when Storm Darragh lashed the UK.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2024

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

He says it now needs doing again in order to prevent the ford flooding as often as it does.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2024

The path crossed the stream on another foot-log below the ford, and joined the road, and we went into the woods.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

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.