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• across-the-board
  across-the-board

  adjective

  applying to all employees, members, groups, or categories; general.
• across the board
  across the board

  Applying to all the individuals in a group, as in They promised us an across-the-board tax cut, that is, one applying to all taxpayers, regardless of income. This expression comes from horse racing, where it refers to a bet that covers all possible ways of winning money on a race: win (first), place (second), or show (third). The board here is the notice-board on which the races and betting odds are listed. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.

across-the-board

American  

[uh-kraws-thuh-bawrd, -bohrd, uh-kros-] / əˈkrɔs ðəˈbɔrd, -ˈboʊrd, əˈkrɒs- /

adjective

1. applying to all employees, members, groups, or categories; general.

   The across-the-board pay increase means a raise for all employees.

2. (of a bet) covering all possibilities of winning on a given result, especially by placing a combination bet on one horse in a race for win, place, and show.

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across-the-board British  

adjective

1. (of salary increases, taxation cuts, etc) affecting all levels or classes equally

2. horse racing the US term for each way

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across the board Idioms  

1. Applying to all the individuals in a group, as in They promised us an across-the-board tax cut, that is, one applying to all taxpayers, regardless of income. This expression comes from horse racing, where it refers to a bet that covers all possible ways of winning money on a race: win (first), place (second), or show (third). The board here is the notice-board on which the races and betting odds are listed. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.

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Etymology

Origin of across-the-board

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

across-the-board across the board

Raising the full retirement age in the U.S. to 70 from 67 would amount to an across-the-board benefit cut of about 20% at every claiming age, Ghilarducci noted.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

The governor has largely resisted adopting new across-the-board tax increases or sharply curtailing his expensive policy proposals in order to align state spending with revenue.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

The move to an across-the-board tariff of 10%, with carve-outs for some kinds of goods, had already reset the competitive landscape, putting shipments from all countries on even footing.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026

The administration’s intention is to replace the across-the-board charge with a series of country-specific duties through a separate process under article 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026

Their response pretty much across-the-board was to accelerate their rate of arrival, and to spread out as much as was humanly possible.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

While tech now accounts for nearly 34% of S&P 500 profits — certainly an outsize share — companies across the board are seeing a pickup.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Five major U.S. banks reported strong second-quarter profits, with investment banking a bright spot across the board for the Wall Street banks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"Management's communication remains a disaster across the board," he said, adding that shop stewards were organising meetings at which Blume would be expected to take questions from staff in person.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

“So just adjusting for sure, but I think that’s across the board for everybody.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

The hope was that all of us would mingle in heterogeneous harmony, deepening the quality of student life across the board.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• sweeping