checkerboard

American  

[chek-er-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈtʃɛk ərˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. a board marked off into 64 squares of two alternating colors, arranged in eight vertical and eight horizontal rows, on which checkers or chess is played.

2. a design resembling this.

   The garden was laid out in a checkerboard.

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verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in or mark with a checkerboard pattern.

   a wall checkerboarded with black and white tiles.

checkerboard British  

/ ˈtʃɛkəˌbɔːd /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): draughtboard.  a square board divided into 64 squares of alternating colours, used for playing checkers or chess

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Etymology

Origin of checkerboard

First recorded in 1765–75; checker ¹ + board

Example Sentences

But to try one of Vancouver’s most beloved Chinese restaurants, make for Chinatown BBQ, where the checkerboard floors and hanging meat evoke a classic Cantonese chopshop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

For added whimsy, the tree is the centerpiece of an “Alice in Wonderland”-style checkerboard of tile and grass.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 15, 2025

So much so that covering the kitchen tile with blue and red checkerboard linoleum was one of their first dates in 2022, two years before Zaletel, 32, moved in.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 28, 2025

Powers and his team repeatedly paired a projected checkerboard visual display with a one-second tone.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025

The checkerboard lay on the coffee table, ready to go.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

Related Words

• chain
• grid
• net
• organization
• structure
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