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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This year delivered the requisite smorgasbord: 120 of them. —

Chrissie McClatchie, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024 The most vigorous current research involves stimulating this nerve with electricity to enhance cognition and memory, and for a smorgasbord of therapies for neurological and psychological disorders, including migraine, tinnitus, obesity, pain, drug addiction, and more. —

R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 29 Sep. 2024 At that point, consumers could have a smorgasbord of options for virtual fashion, whether coordinating real outfits on avatars, through a smartphone screen in AR or in a mirror, as seen through the AR eyewear. —

Adriana Lee, WWD, 19 Nov. 2024 The Green Gift Shop at the Carmel Clay Public Library hosts a smorgasbord of local vendors and organizations. —

Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for smorgasbord