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
Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
In fact, there might almost be too much going on during this smorgasbord of tunes and tastes.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 19 May 2025
That’s two meals for the price of one, plus the smorgasbord of bottomless soup, salad, and breadsticks.
—Alyssa Davis, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025
The film further lifts the veil on the artist’s influence, as a variable smorgasbord of talent converges throughout to deconstruct the impact of his life, art, his curious process and disposition.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 9 June 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 12 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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