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.
Synonyms
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
Examples of smorgasbord in a Sentence
Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PCMAG, 30 June 2024
The blend also contains probiotics (7.2 billion CFUs in a single scoop, to be precise) and a smorgasbord of vitamins, adaptogens, digestive enzymes and magnesium to keep you well and energised.
—Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 13 June 2024
Utah granted Ronnie Lee Gardner, in 2010, the last person the state executed, a smorgasbord of food and other requests, according to the Department of Corrections.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 8 June 2024
The South Tyrol cuisine reflects the multicultural area: heavy on the red meat and alpine cheese, but also boasting a smorgasbord of fresh fruit and colourful vegetables.
—Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for smorgasbord 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smorgasbord.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near smorgasbord
Cite this Entry
“Smorgasbord.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smorgasbord. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smorgasbord
noun
from Swedish smörgåsbord "a buffet meal," from smörgås "open sandwich" and bord "table"
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