board

1 of 2

noun

1
: a piece of sawed lumber of little thickness and a length greatly exceeding its width
nailed boards over the windows
2
a
: a surface, frame, or device for posting notices
Pin the photo to the board.
b
: blackboard
wrote the assignment on the board
c
: a flat usually rectangular piece of material (such as wood) designed for a special purpose: such as
(1)
(2)
: skateboard
… Tony Hawk has just legitimized the youthful rebellion they'd abandoned along with their boards.Sean Pamphilon
(3)
: springboard sense 1
Do a backflip off the board.
(4)
boards plural : skis
a new pair of boards
d
basketball : backboard sense 1
a rebound off the boards
also : a rebound in basketball
averaging 7.8 boards per game
3
a(1)
: a group of persons having managerial, supervisory, investigatory, or advisory powers
She is on the bank's board of directors.
board of examiners
a board member
(2)
: an examination given by an examining board
often used in plural
pass the medical boards
b
: league, association
local board of realtors
c
: daily meals especially when furnished for pay
paid for her room and board
d
: a table spread with a meal
offered to help clear the board
e
: a table at which a council or magistrates sit
sat at the council board
f card games
(1)
: the exposed hands of all the players in a stud poker (see stud entry 1 sense 5) game
(2)
: an exposed dummy (see dummy entry 1 sense 2a) hand in bridge
g
archaic : table sense 1a
4
electronics : a sheet of insulating material carrying circuit elements and terminals so that it can be inserted in an electronic apparatus (such as a computer)
5
boards plural, ice hockey : the low wall enclosing a hockey rink
6
computers : message board sense 2
Add a link to the board.
7
a
b
: the stiff foundation piece for the side of a book cover
8
nautical : the side of a ship
9
boards plural, theater : stage sense 2a(2)
one of the best actors that ever trod the boards
10
finance : a securities or commodities exchange (see exchange entry 1 sense 5a)
11
obsolete : border, edge
boardlike adjective

board

2 of 2

verb

boarded; boarding; boards

transitive verb

1
a
: to go aboard (something, such as a ship, train, airplane, or bus)
boarded a bus to Chicago
b
: to put aboard
an airliner boarding passengers
2
: to cover or seal off with a long, thin, and often narrow piece of sawed lumber : to cover or seal off with boards (see board entry 1 sense 1)
usually used with up
board up a window
board up a house
3
: to provide with regular meals and often also lodging usually for compensation
supplemented her income by boarding college students
4
ice hockey : to check (a player) into the low wooden wall enclosing a hockey rink : to check (a player) into the boards (see board entry 1 sense 5)
5
archaic : to come up against or alongside (a ship) usually to attack
6
archaic : accost, address
boarded me with some light remarkW. A. White

intransitive verb

1
: to receive meals or lodging
bachelors who board at the inn
specifically : to live at a boarding school
2
informal : to ride a skateboard, snowboard, etc.
At 12, Danny joined his 16-year-old brother … on the slopes, boarding every day after school.Scott DeSimon
3
a
: to get into or onto a means of transportation (such as an airplane, bus, ship, etc.)
A bit late, we hurried to the gate just in time to board.Ellen Creager
b
: to put or allow passengers into or onto such a means of transportation
… before my plane boarded I wandered into a duty-free shop to pick up a few last-minute presents.Ted Mooney
Phrases
across the board
: so as to include or affect all classes or categories
cut spending across the board
also : in all areas or respects
considered an average player across the board
on board
1
: aboard
2
: in support of a particular objective
needed to get more senators on board for the bill to pass

Examples of board in a Sentence

Noun They nailed some boards over the broken window. They covered the board in fabric and pinned some photographs to it. the board that is used to play games like chess and checkers I saw a notice on the board calling for volunteers. Write the answers on the board. She is on the town's planning board. The parole board has decided that the prisoner is not yet ready for release. Verb You must have a ticket in order to board the train. The pirates tried to board the ship, but we fought them off. We're supposed to board at 10:15. We're now boarding all passengers. The flight is about to begin boarding. Passengers should remain in the boarding area. The caretaker boarded the window. They board guests during the summer season. Many students board at the college.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
At a board meeting March 5, Weiss explained that any reductions would follow a board policy for such situations. Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 With Robert Wei and Aaron Shershow on board as producers, the film began pre-production in Prague in late 2015 and had incurred nearly $1 million of costs. Patrick Frater, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024 Meadow Didier, director of consulting for Nonprofit Finance Fund, recommends a type of endowment that allows the nonprofit's boards and leaders to access the principle amount of the endowment when needed. Thalia Beaty, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 During a board meeting for the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, Robert Zimmer, then the president of the University of Chicago, approached him about serving on the Giant Magellan’s board. Katrina Miller, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Meadow Didier, director of consulting for Nonprofit Finance Fund, recommends a type of endowment that allows the nonprofit’s boards and leaders to access the principle amount of the endowment when needed. Thalia Beaty, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024 Fair board members ultimately voted to close the deal. Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 The separation comes after activist investor Nelson Peltz joined Unilever's board in 2022 to push for changes at the consumer product company. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2024 This means there’s a chance 2024 is the year the stadium plan finally gets put into motion now that Stronach is on board, regardless of what could come down the road regarding MLS expansion. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Meanwhile, the city has boarded up windows, set up fencing and hired 24/7 security to stop break-ins. Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 The patients on that list, which has been seen by CNN, are expected to board buses for the Kerem Shalom crossing on the border between Israel and Gaza on Wednesday. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 My dog, embarrassed to board with coffee stains, concurs this is one of the best travel hacks invented. Becca Blond, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2024 The cinematic image of children boarding trains in World War II is, typically, a traumatic one. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 In August of that year, Mattson Tomlin boarded to co-write with Reeves, and in late January 2023, DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran gave the film a title and date of Oct. 3, 2025. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 During the event, Queen Camilla and Queen Mathilde boarded the WOW Girls Festival Bus, which had been traveling to schools and community centers around England to promote gender equality. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Agents had already landed in the Netherlands, and two more were about to board a flight to join them. Jesse Drucker, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 The shooting came a day after a 17-year-old was killed and four others were wounded as a group of 15 to 20 people were boarding a city bus on North Broad Street and West Godfrey Avenue. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'board.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English bord piece of sawed lumber, border, ship's side, from Old English; akin to Old High German bort ship's side

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 11

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 5

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

Dictionary Entries Near board

Cite this Entry

“Board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/board. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

board

1 of 2 noun
ˈbō(ə)rd How to pronounce board (audio)
ˈbȯ(ə)rd
1
: the side of a ship
2
a
: a long thin flat piece of lumber
b
plural : stage entry 1 sense 2b
trod the boards for 40 years
3
a
: a dining table
b
: daily meals especially when provided for pay
room and board
4
: a group of persons who manage, direct, or investigate
board of directors
board of examiners
5
a
: a flat usually rectangular piece of material designed for a special purpose
cutting board
chess board
diving board
b
: a surface, frame, or device for putting up notices
6
: a sheet of insulating material carrying circuit elements and connectors so that it can be inserted in an electronic device (as a computer)

board

2 of 2 verb
1
: to go or put aboard : get or put on
board a plane
2
: to cover with boards
board up a window
3
: to provide or be provided with regular meals and often lodging usually for pay
4
: to live at a boarding school

Medical Definition

1
: a group of persons having supervisory, managerial, investigatory, or advisory powers
medical licensing boards
a board of health
2
: an examination given by an examining board
often used in plural
passed his medical boards

Legal Definition

board

noun
often capitalized
1
a
: a group of individuals having managerial, supervisory, investigatory, or advisory powers over a public or private business, trust, or other organization or institution
Board of Regents
Board of Bar Overseers
2
a
: a group of citizens elected to administer the business of or an aspect of the business of a political unit (as a town or county)
a board of selectmen
b
: a federal, state, or local government agency see also National Labor Relations Board
3
: a securities or commodities exchange see also board of trade

More from Merriam-Webster on board

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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