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
Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
The real Broncos smorgasbord, though, came Thursday night against the Raiders’ best offensive weapon.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Fake pine needles, evergreen twigs, eucalyptus leaves, and white berries come together to create a smorgasbord of winter foliage in this garland.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2025
While Hallmark serves us a smorgasbord of festive films every year, there are a few each Countdown to Christmas season that give that nostalgic, golden age, timeless feeling and this is one of them.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Smorgasbord.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smorgasbord. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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smorgasbord
noun
from Swedish smörgåsbord "a buffet meal," from smörgås "open sandwich" and bord "table"
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