ford

1 of 2

noun

: a shallow part of a body of water that may be crossed by wading

ford

2 of 2

verb

forded; fording; fords

transitive verb

: to cross (a body of water) by wading
fordable adjective

Examples of ford in a Sentence

Noun didn't attempt getting the horses across the stream until we had reached the ford
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Verb
Other stats include several suspension options, more than a foot of ground clearance, the ability to ford 3 feet of water and up to 35-inch tires. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 25 Oct. 2024 Grab your wagons and oxen, and get ready to ford a river: A movie adaptation of the popular grade school computer game Oregon Trail is in development at Apple. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2024 These massive infrastructure projects, carved through mountain ranges and fording mighty rivers, transformed societies in ways barely imaginable by even their most fervent financial backers. Sandy Carter, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 Another thing to consider is bringing a pair of sandals to ford the river. Erinne Magee, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ford 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old Norse fjǫrthr fjord, Latin portus port, Old English faran to go — more at fare

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ford was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ford

Cite this Entry

“Ford.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ford. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ford

1 of 2 noun
ˈfō(ə)rd How to pronounce ford (audio)
ˈfȯ(ə)rd
: a shallow part of a body of water that may be crossed by wading

ford

2 of 2 verb
: to cross (a body of water) by wading
fordable adjective

Biographical Definition

Ford 1 of 5

biographical name (1)

Ford Mad*ox ˈma-dəks How to pronounce Ford (audio) 1873–1939 originally Ford Hermann Hueffer ˈhü-fər How to pronounce Ford (audio)
ˈ(h)we-fər
English author

Ford

2 of 5

biographical name (2)

Gerald R(udolph) 1913–2006 American politician; vice president of the U.S. (1973–74); 38th president of the U.S. (1974–77)

Ford

3 of 5

biographical name (3)

Henry 1863–1947 American automobile manufacturer

Ford

4 of 5

biographical name (4)

John 1586–?1639 English dramatist

Ford

5 of 5

biographical name (5)

John 1895–1973 originally John Martin Feeney American film director

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