smorgasbord
Americannoun
-
a buffet meal of various hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, salads, casserole dishes, meats, cheeses, etc.
-
an extensive array or variety.
The company has a smorgasbord of employee benefits.
noun
Etymology
Origin of smorgasbord
First recorded in 1875–80; from Swedish smörgåsbord, equivalent to smörgås “(slice of) bread and butter, sandwich,” from smör “butter”; ( see smear ( def. )) + gås “goose, (dialect) lump of fat or butter” ( see goose ( def. )) + bord “table” ( see board ( def. ))
Explanation
A smorgasbord is an assortment of different things — a magazine might feature a smorgasbord of stories on a wide variety of subjects. Use the noun smorgasbord when you're talking about a selection of things, like a fabulous breakfast buffet, a long list of college classes you could take, or a motley group of camping companions. In Swedish, a smörgåsbord is a table full of different sandwich offerings. It literally means "butter goose table," from smörgås, which alternately means "bread and butter," and "bread and goose," plus bord, or "table."
Vocabulary lists containing smorgasbord
The Melting Pot: Food Words from Other Languages
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!
Down and Across
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!
The Season of Styx Malone
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.
The ambitious action-adventure's been compared to a buffet, presenting players with a smorgasbord of ideas, gameplay styles and quests to gorge on.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Only much later would I realize that it wasn’t so much a smorgasbord of vendors as it was the Gorgon Medusa: When one head is removed, more sprout in its place.
From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026
With its smorgasbord of humanity, “Marty Supreme” makes a defiant statement at a moment when audiences suspect AI-generated people are taking over their screens.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
To call the 50th-anniversary edition of “Wish You Were Here” a smorgasbord is an understatement.
From Salon • Dec. 12, 2025
Similarly, the small birds in the rest areas began to learn that the automobiles and trucks that came roaring in brought with them a wonderful smorgasbord of insects caught and carried in their radiator grilles.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
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.
