smorgasbord

American  

[smawr-guhs-bawrd, -bohrd, shmawr-] / ˈsmɔr gəsˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd, ˈʃmɔr- /

Swedish smörgåsbord

noun

1. a buffet meal of various hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, salads, casserole dishes, meats, cheeses, etc.

2. an extensive array or variety.

   The company has a smorgasbord of employee benefits.

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smorgasbord British  

/ ˈsmɜː-, ˈsmɔːɡəsˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a variety of cold or hot savoury dishes, such as pâté, smoked salmon, etc, served in Scandinavia as hors d'oeuvres or as a buffet meal

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Etymology

Origin of smorgasbord

First recorded in 1875–80; from Swedish smörgåsbord, equivalent to smörgås “(slice of) bread and butter, sandwich,” from smör “butter”; ( smear ( def. ) ) + gås “goose, (dialect) lump of fat or butter” ( goose ( def. ) ) + bord “table” ( board ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

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

Troops are experimenting with a smorgasbord of buzzing, flying machines—launching more than 600 flights over two weeks during the exercises—and layering them through the depth of the battlefield.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

To call the 50th-anniversary edition of “Wish You Were Here” a smorgasbord is an understatement.

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2025

We pass rapidly from one object to another, sampling them like dishes in a smorgasbord.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Related Words

• array
• assortment
• hodgepodge
• mishmash