ford

1 of 2

noun

: a shallow part of a body of water that may be crossed by wading

ford

2 of 2

verb

forded; fording; fords

transitive verb

: to cross (a body of water) by wading
fordable adjective

Examples of ford in a Sentence

Noun didn't attempt getting the horses across the stream until we had reached the ford
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
These massive infrastructure projects, carved through mountain ranges and fording mighty rivers, transformed societies in ways barely imaginable by even their most fervent financial backers. Sandy Carter, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 Another thing to consider is bringing a pair of sandals to ford the river. Erinne Magee, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2024 Victor Corone, 66, forded nearly two feet of floodwater while pushing his wife, 64-year-old Maria Diaz, in a wheelchair. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 13 June 2024 The new platform, with its fewer but faster ECUs and upgraded suspension, handled these kinds of situations with aplomb, fording deep water and powering up and over articulating bumps with ease and grace. Abigail Bassett, Ars Technica, 6 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for ford 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ford.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old Norse fjǫrthr fjord, Latin portus port, Old English faran to go — more at fare

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ford was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ford

Cite this Entry

“Ford.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ford. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

ford

1 of 2 noun
ˈfō(ə)rd How to pronounce ford (audio)
ˈfȯ(ə)rd
: a shallow part of a body of water that may be crossed by wading

ford

2 of 2 verb
: to cross (a body of water) by wading
fordable adjective

Biographical Definition

Ford 1 of 5

biographical name (1)

Ford Mad*ox ˈma-dəks How to pronounce Ford (audio) 1873–1939 originally Ford Hermann Hueffer ˈhü-fər How to pronounce Ford (audio)
ˈ(h)we-fər
English author

Ford

2 of 5

biographical name (2)

Gerald R(udolph) 1913–2006 American politician; vice president of the U.S. (1973–74); 38th president of the U.S. (1974–77)

Ford

3 of 5

biographical name (3)

Henry 1863–1947 American automobile manufacturer

Ford

4 of 5

biographical name (4)

John 1586–?1639 English dramatist

Ford

5 of 5

biographical name (5)

John 1895–1973 originally John Martin Feeney American film director

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