smorgasbord

[ smawr-guhs-bawrd, -bohrd or, often, shmawr- ]

/ ˈsmɔr gəsˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd or, often, ˈʃmɔr- /

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See synonyms for smorgasbord on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

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Also smör·gås·bord

[Swedish smœr-gaws-boord]. /Swedish ˈsmœr gɔsˌburd/.

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) + gås “goose, (dialect) lump of fat or butter” (see goose) + bord “table” (see board)

Words nearby smorgasbord

smooth-spoken, smooth sumac, smooth-talk, smooth-tongued, s'more, smorgasbord, smørrebrød, smorzando, smote, smother, smothered mate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use smorgasbord in a sentence

The book is more than a smorgasbord—it’s like a World’s Fair international food pavilion bound between covers.
The Four Cookbooks That Got Me Out of My Pandemic Cooking Rut|Max Watman|June 25, 2021|The Daily Beast
The reason to read this book is not so much that it contains a recipe for anything — unless you’re baking, there may be no such thing — but rather that it offers a smorgasbord of ideas from which you can pick and choose what works for you.
The not-so-surprising secrets of wealthy investors|Bethany McLean|May 14, 2021|Washington Post
For a monthly fee, gamers can get access to a smorgasbord of titles to choose from, or play their own on pricey hardware.
The Perfect Last-Minute Gifts for the Gamers in Your Life|Patrick Lucas Austin|December 11, 2020|Time
All of these should play well with a smorgasbord of foods and help set a holiday mood.
Food-friendly wines to pair with your Thanksgiving dishes|Dave McIntyre|November 20, 2020|Washington Post

In the upcoming year, tech companies plan to push a smorgasbord of policy changes, each of which will have its own political implications.
What Silicon Valley needs from the 2020 election|Danielle Abril|September 30, 2020|Fortune
Holding the architectural smorgasbord of a castle together was cement, wire, and mortar.
The Postman Who Built a Palace in France…by Hand|Nina Strochlic|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It’s arguably the best film of the ‘90s—a postmodern pop culture smorgasbord awash in nihilism and dripping with retro cool.
The Secrets of ‘Pulp Fiction’: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Movie on Its 20th Anniversary|Marlow Stern|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Magnolia (1999)—“a smorgasbord of pleasure, that movie”—he played opposite Tom Cruise as a nurse.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: An Actor First|Tim Teeman|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And there is an intellectual smorgasbord of policy lunches, coffees, and evening lectures, most of it open to the public.
Will DC Become a World City?|Megan McArdle|October 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Beck's been pumping up this super-patriot smorgasbord since last November.
I Have a Nightmare|John Avlon|August 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST
There she was, five foot eleven of big, bouncy, blonde smorgasbord.
Inside John Barth|William W. Stuart

British Dictionary definitions for smorgasbord

smorgasbord

/ (ˈsmɔːɡəsˌbɔːd, ˈsmɜː-) /

noun

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

Word Origin for smorgasbord

Swedish, from smörgås sandwich + bord table

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

smorgasbord

Origin of smorgasbord

Words nearby smorgasbord

Words related to smorgasbord

How to use smorgasbord in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smorgasbord

Word Origin for smorgasbord