smorgasbord
noun
Did you know?
Although smorgasbord might make us think of a variety of foods, the Swedish word smörgås refers to a particular food item—an open sandwich or, alternatively, a slice of bread covered with butter—which is a staple of the traditional Swedish smorgasbord. (The word smör means "butter," and gås can mean "a lump of butter" as well as "goose.") Smörgås teamed up with the Swedish word bord, meaning "table" or "board," to form smorgasbord; the word first appeared in English in the later part of the 19th century. By the mid-20th century smorgasbord was being used outside of food-related contexts to refer to something that comprises a mixture or assemblage of different parts.
Examples of smorgasbord in a Sentence
Holly Jones, Variety, 9 June 2025
Longtime Forbes travel writer Everett Potter explores a smorgasbord of culinary rail tours in his forthcoming book National Geographic’s 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Rides, and offers up five unforgettable train trips with a food and wine theme.
—Forbes Staff, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Evans employs a stylistic smorgasbord for his 16 songs, including thunderous rock, wafting waltzes, barbershop harmonies, pop balladry and even a show-stopping gospel number.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
The article is a smorgasbord of detail, brimming with characters, including C-suite executives, public-relations staffers, marketing V.P.s, and Lauder herself, for whom Fraser reserves her best descriptions.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for smorgasbord
Cite this Entry
“Smorgasbord.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smorgasbord. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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smorgasbord
noun
from Swedish smörgåsbord "a buffet meal," from smörgås "open sandwich" and bord "table"
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