What does "ford" mean?
A location where a stream is shallow and the bottom has good footing, making it possible to cross from one side to the other with no bridge, by walking, riding, or driving through the water; a crossing.
Ford
/fɔːd/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A location where a stream is shallow and the bottom has good footing, making it possible to cross from one side to the other with no bridge, by walking, riding, or driving through the water; a crossing.
- Grammar: ford is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: crossing, access, aisle, alley.
- Useful contrasts: bridge.
- Usage evidence: Mr Ford is what is called a self-made man.
How to use "ford"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ford" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ford" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ford" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ford" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ford" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "crossing" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ford", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A location where a stream is shallow and the bottom has good footing, making it possible to cross from one side to the other with no bridge, by walking, riding, or driving through the water; a crossing.
"He swam the Esk river where ford there was none."
- 2 A make of car, named for Henry Ford, or a car (or other vehicle) of this make.
"They have a Ford car now, and she don't seem so far away from me as she used to."
- 3 the act of crossing a stream or river by wading or in a car or on a horse wordnet
- 4 A stream; a current.
"With water of the ford / Or of the clouds."
- 5 a shallow area in a stream that can be forded wordnet
Verb
- 1 To cross a stream by walking through it.
"He named that place, for it was near her dwelling, and on the road between Balerynie and Heriotside, which fords the Sker Burn."
- 2 cross a river where it's shallow wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A topographic surname from Middle English for someone who lived near a ford. countable, uncountable
"We spoke to Ford and other hairstylists over 40 about what to expect from these changes and how to treat them. Read on for the experts’ tips for helping your hair age gracefully."
- 2 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Dinton with Ford and Upton parish, Buckinghamshire (OS grid ref SP7709). countable, uncountable
- 3 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Eckington parish, North East Derbyshire district, Derbyshire (OS grid ref SK4080). countable, uncountable
- 4 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A suburb of Plymouth, Devon (OS grid ref SX4656). countable, uncountable
- 5 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Holbeton parish, South Hams district, Devon (OS grid ref SX6150). countable, uncountable
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Temple Guiting parish, Cotswold district, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref SP0829). countable, uncountable
- 7 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Ford and Stoke Prior parish, south of Leominster, Herefordshire (OS grid ref SO5155) countable, uncountable
- 8 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A suburban area in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside (OS grid ref SJ3398). countable, uncountable
- 9 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A small village and civil parish in northern Northumberland (OS grid ref NT9437). countable, uncountable
- 10 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A village and civil parish west of Shrewsbury, Shropshire (OS grid ref SJ4113). countable, uncountable
- 11 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A village and civil parish in Arun district, West Sussex (OS grid ref TQ0003). countable, uncountable
- 12 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A small village in North Wraxall parish, Wiltshire (OS grid ref ST8375). countable, uncountable
- 13 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A number of places in England:; A village in Laverstock parish, near Salisbury, Wiltshire (OS grid ref SU1533). countable, uncountable
- 14 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A small village at the south-west end of Loch Awe, Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NN8603). countable, uncountable
- 15 A placename:; A number of places in the United Kingdom:; A hamlet in Wolfscastle community, Pembrokeshire, Wales (OS grid ref SM9526). countable, uncountable
- 16 A placename:; A number of places in the USA:; An extinct town in Bartow County, Georgia. countable, uncountable
- 17 A placename:; A number of places in the USA:; A small city in Ford County, Kansas. countable, uncountable
- 18 A placename:; A number of places in the USA:; An unincorporated community in Clark County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
- 19 A placename:; A number of places in the USA:; An unincorporated community in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. countable, uncountable
- 20 A placename:; A number of places in the USA:; An unincorporated community in Stevens County, Washington. countable, uncountable
- 21 A placename:; A number of places in the USA:; A town in Taylor County, Wisconsin. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"Mr Ford is what is called a self-made man."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ford"?
Common synonyms include: crossing, access, aisle, alley, ambulatory, aperture.
How do you use "ford" in a sentence?
Mr Ford is what is called a self-made man.
How do you pronounce "ford"?
Pronounced /fɔːd/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Indo-European *pértus Proto-Germanic *furduz Proto-West Germanic *furdu Old English ford English ford Inherited from Middle English fōrd, from Old English ford, from Proto-West Germanic *furdu, from Proto-Germanic *furduz, from Proto-Indo-European *pértus (“crossing”). Doublet of firth, fjord, and fjard, all via Old Norse; and port, distantly via Latin. Cognate with Low German Föörd, Dutch voord, German Furt, Norwegian and Danish fjord. See also forth and Persian پل (pol, “bridge”).