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
Sean Pamphilon
(3)
: springboard sense 1
Do a backflip off the board.
(4)
d
basketball
: backboard sense 1
a rebound off the boards
also
: a rebound in basketball
averaging 7.8 boards per game
e
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
10
finance
: a securities or commodities exchange (see exchange entry 1 sense 5a)
boarded; boarding; boards
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
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
Scott DeSimon3
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
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
Ted MooneySynonyms
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 WebParadise Afshar, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
Three of the barges were empty, and 23 carried cargo such as coal, though there were no hazardous materials on board, city officials said in a news release.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
Now, as The Crimson reports, the selection of her permanent successor is being driven in no small measure by worries on its board about Trump’s return to power.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
And when Shakir thinks about why young voters aren't on board yet, there's a simple answer.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
With the trend cycle accelerating at warp speed, there doesn’t seem to be a predominant fashion trend that everyone is on board with.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
As a result, the medical board was asked to intervene.
—Daniel Bice, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
In March, the city’s planning and zoning board gave developers the okay to move forward.
—Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
The foundation will also ratify all board appointees and select the board’s chair from the 17 directors.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2024
Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
At the airport, travelers boarding in zones one to four will use the Sky Priority lane, while travelers boarding in zones five to eight will use the airline’s general boarding lane.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
The archdiocese is now planning to repair the roof, board the windows, winterize the plumbing and heating systems, and do other work to stabilize the building.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
Fynn Eastridge, 14, and her brother Ember, 16, traveled from their home in North Carolina to Ohio, and then boarded a boat to watch the event from Put-in-Bay, a village on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.
—Christopher Maag, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Mario Tama/Getty Images People also took to the skies during the eclipse, boarding special flights along the path of totality.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Some people also took to the skies, boarding commercial airline flights that ventured into the path of totality.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Universal is distributing Monkey Man at the behest of Jordan Peele, who was so impressed with Patel’s film that Peele’s Monkey Paw Productions boarded the project and brought it to Universal, his home studio on the movie side.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
For the return trip, fans can board a shuttle on Earthquakes Way outside the stadium’s main gate after the final whistle.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
Noun
No hazardous materials were on board the barges, according to the city.
—Paradise Afshar, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
Three of the barges were empty, and 23 carried cargo such as coal, though there were no hazardous materials on board, city officials said in a news release.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
Now, as The Crimson reports, the selection of her permanent successor is being driven in no small measure by worries on its board about Trump’s return to power.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
And when Shakir thinks about why young voters aren't on board yet, there's a simple answer.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
With the trend cycle accelerating at warp speed, there doesn’t seem to be a predominant fashion trend that everyone is on board with.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
As a result, the medical board was asked to intervene.
—Daniel Bice, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
In March, the city’s planning and zoning board gave developers the okay to move forward.
—Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
The foundation will also ratify all board appointees and select the board’s chair from the 17 directors.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2024
Verb
Her phone was later discovered at an LAX Southwest ticket counter, but Mark told SFGate there is no evidence that his daughter boarded a plane.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
At the airport, travelers boarding in zones one to four will use the Sky Priority lane, while travelers boarding in zones five to eight will use the airline’s general boarding lane.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
The archdiocese is now planning to repair the roof, board the windows, winterize the plumbing and heating systems, and do other work to stabilize the building.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
Fynn Eastridge, 14, and her brother Ember, 16, traveled from their home in North Carolina to Ohio, and then boarded a boat to watch the event from Put-in-Bay, a village on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.
—Christopher Maag, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Mario Tama/Getty Images People also took to the skies during the eclipse, boarding special flights along the path of totality.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Some people also took to the skies, boarding commercial airline flights that ventured into the path of totality.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Universal is distributing Monkey Man at the behest of Jordan Peele, who was so impressed with Patel’s film that Peele’s Monkey Paw Productions boarded the project and brought it to Universal, his home studio on the movie side.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
For the return trip, fans can board a shuttle on Earthquakes Way outside the stadium’s main gate after the final whistle.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 30 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/board. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
board
1 of 2 noun
ˈbō(ə)rd 
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 verb1
: 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
board
noun1
: 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
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