smorgasbord
Syllables: smor·gas·bord/ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/US/ˈsmɔɹɡəsˌbɔɹd/
smorgasbord noun: a Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes; (by extension) any buffet with a wide selection of dishes.
Noun
smorgasbord (plural smorgasbords)
- A Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes; (by extension) any buffet with a wide selection of dishes.
- In the middle of the saloon they observed a small table set out with little dishes, containing bread and butter, sardines, pickled herrings, cheese, large baskets filled with rye biscuit, dark and untempting to Mabel's English eye, and the never failing brandy. Gathered around the smorgasbord were...1876, [Justin] André, chapter V, in Overcome, Rouses Point, N.Y.: Lovell Printing & Publishing Co., →OCLC, page 81
- In carrying out the Swedish luxury theme, tasty Scandinavian food will be served from the Stratocruiser galley. The lower-deck cocktail bar will feature smorgasbord snacks and drinks.1946 March, “Swedish Modern Airlines”, in Boeing Magazine, volume XVI, number 3, Seattle, Wash.: Public Relations Division, Boeing Airplane Company, →OCLC, page 95, column 1
- An abundant and diverse collection of things.
- “Every time you went into the library,” said the book, “the Creator of the Universe held His breath. With such a higgledy-piggledy cultural smorgasbord before you, what would you, with your free will, choose?”1973, Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions, Random House, published 2010, →ISBN, page 256
- If you have an appetite for education statistics, consider the above an appetizer for the smorgasbord you'll find in the Digest of Education Statistics 1990.1991 September, “Measuring Education”, in Neil Tillman, editor, Census and You: Monthly News from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, volume 26, number 9, Bureau of the Census, Economics and Statistics...
- Synonyms:
- assortment, hodgepodge, medley, miscellany, Whitman's sampler, bouillabaisse, bric-a-brac, catch-all, clamjamfrey, cocktail
smorgasbord meaning in Tamil and Thai
smorgasbord in Tamil
- வகையுணா
smorgasbord in Thai
- Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes — see also buffet
- บุฟเฟต์ búp-fêe
Examples of smorgasbord in a sentence
- Gathered around the smorgasbord were all the Swedes talking and eating most earnestly (all standing).1876, [Justin] André, chapter V, in Overcome, Rouses Point, N.Y.: Lovell Printing & Publishing Co., →OCLC, page 81:
- Cafeterias, buffets, chuck wagon service and smorgasbords are becoming increasingly popular food service methods.[1965?], California Bureau of Food and Drug Inspections, Recommendations for Food Protection Devices: Cafeterias, Buffets, Chuck Wagons...
- For example, cafeteria lines, buffets, and smorgasbords are primarily self-service.1984, “Chapter I—Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury—(Continued): (Parts 30 to 39)”, in Code of Federal Regulations...
- I remember the first time my folks took me to a smorgasbord.2010, Pete Helland, “Thanks to God for the Smorgasbord”, in John J. (Jeff) Pepper, editor, Daily Triumph, [United States]: Xulon Press...
Synonyms of smorgasbord
- assortment
- hodgepodge
- medley
- miscellany
- Whitman's sampler
- bouillabaisse
- bric-a-brac
- catch-all
- clamjamfrey
- cocktail
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
- rummage
- salad
- anthology
- gallery
- gatherum
- congeries
- crazyquilt
- disjecta membra
- farrago
- galimatias
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- horse and rabbit stew
- hotchpotch
- hotchpot
- job lot
- jumble
- macedoine
- melange
- mingle-mangle
- miscellanea
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- mixture
- motley
- odds and ends
- oddments
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
Forms of smorgasbord
| plural | smorgasbords |
|---|---|
| alternative form | smörgåsbord |
Origin of smorgasbord
Borrowed from Swedish smörgåsbord (“buffet with many small dishes; smorgasbord”), from smörgås (“sandwich”) + bord (“table”). Smörgås is from Swedish smör (“butter”) + gås (“goose”), a reference to pieces of butter which float to the surface of milk when churned.
Words that rhyme with smorgasbord
40 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- umbilical cord
- afford
- ord
- reward
- sward
- toward
- hoard
- untoward
- -lord
- abhorred
- bored
- destination board
- disaccord
- greatsword
- horde
- onboard
- unoared
- adored
- bell chord
- beward
- chored
- concord
- deboard
- discord
- fjord
- gord
- gored
- guide board
- hoared
- ignored
- m'lord
- milord
- moored
- oared
- of one's own accord
- outward
- restored
- secured
- sord
- whored
Questions about smorgasbord
- What does smorgasbord mean?
- Smorgasbord means a Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes; (by extension) any buffet with a wide selection of dishes.
- What is smorgasbord in Tamil?
- Smorgasbord in Tamil is வகையுணா. See Smorgasbord meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use smorgasbord in a sentence?
- Gathered around the smorgasbord were all the Swedes talking and eating most earnestly (all standing).
- What part of speech is smorgasbord?
- Smorgasbord is a noun.
- How do you pronounce smorgasbord?
- Smorgasbord is pronounced /ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/ (UK).
- What is the plural of smorgasbord?
- The plural of smorgasbord is smorgasbords.
Words near smorgasbord in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: smorgasbord (page history and authors); smorgasbord (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-AcpoKrane-smorgsabord.wav.
Cite this entry: “smorgasbord.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/smorgasbord. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.