smorgasbord

noun

smor·gas·bord ˈsmȯr-gəs-ˌbȯrd

: a luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes (such as hors d'oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, salads, and relishes)

: an often large heterogeneous mixture : mélange

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

every day the director has to first deal with a smorgasbord of problems before he can begin filming

Recent Examples on the Web

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Set out a smorgasbord of mustards and pop a couple—or a dozen—in your mouth. —

Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2024 Pair with pumpernickel bread and fresh butter or a Nordic smorgasbord. —

Tom Mullen, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024 Likewise, our trash heaps, with their snug nooks and smorgasbords of food scraps, make beautiful habitats for rats. —

Krista Stevens, Longreads, 29 Aug. 2024 Pair this with a smorgasbord of charcuterie meats, hard cheeses, or with lamb and mint sauce, or with cous-cous, sultanas and soy. —

Tom Mullen, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for smorgasbord