board
a piece of wood sawed thin, and of considerable length and breadth compared with the thickness.
a flat slab of wood or other material for some specific purpose: a cutting board.
a sheet of wood, cardboard, paper, etc., with or without markings, for some special use, as a checkerboard or chessboard.
boards,
Theater. the stage: The play will go on the boards next week.
the wooden fence surrounding the playing area of an ice-hockey rink.
a racing course made of wood, used especially for track meets held indoors: This will be his first time running on boards.
Bookbinding. stiff cardboard or other material covered with paper, cloth, or the like to form the covers for a book.
Building Trades. composition material made in large sheets, as plasterboard or corkboard.
a table, especially to serve food on.
daily meals, especially as provided for pay: The charge at the time was twenty dollars a day for room and board.
an official group of persons who direct or supervise some activity: The motion was approved by the board of directors.
Nautical.
the side of a ship.
one leg, or tack, of the course of a ship beating to windward.
Railroads. a fixed signal or permanent sign regulating traffic.
a flat surface, as a wall or an object of rectangular shape, on which something is posted, as notices or stock-market quotations: a bulletin board.
Computers.
Electronics. circuit board (def. 1).
a switchboard.
Australian.
the area of a woolshed where shearing is done.
a crew of shearers working in a particular woolshed.
sheep about to be sheared.
Obsolete. the edge, border, or side of anything.
to cover or close with boards (often followed by up or over): They just boarded up the house and moved away.We had to board over the well to keep animals from getting in there.
to furnish with meals, or with meals and lodging, especially for pay: They boarded him for $50 a week.
to go on board of or enter (a ship, train, etc.).
to allow on board: We will be boarding passengers in approximately ten minutes.
to come up alongside (a ship), as to attack or to go on board: The pirate ship boarded the clipper.
Obsolete. to approach; accost.
to take one's meals, or be supplied with food and lodging at a fixed price: Several of us board at the same rooming house.
Ice Hockey. to hit an opposing player with a board check.
Idioms about board
across the board,
Racing. betting on a horse or dog to finish first, second, or third, so that any result where a selection wins, places, or shows enables the bettor to collect.
applying to or affecting every person, class, group, etc.
go by the board,
to go over the ship's side.
to be destroyed, neglected, or forgotten: All his devoted labor went by the board.
on board, : Also aboard .
on or in a ship, plane, or other vehicle: There were several movie stars on board traveling incognito.
Baseball. on base: There were two men on board as the next batter came up.
present and functioning as a member of a team or organization.
in agreement; aligned (usually followed by with): If we want to achieve our goals, we have to get the CEO on board with our plan.
on the boards, in the theatrical profession: The family has been on the boards since grandfather's time.
tread the boards. tread (def. 23).
Origin of board
1Other words from board
- board·a·ble, adjective
- board·like, adjective
- re·board, verb (used with object)
- un·board·ed, adjective
Words that may be confused with board
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use board in a sentence
The reigning queen of hip-hop treads the boards in her teen years.
Nicki Minaj: High School Actress | Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTJordan also banned it, and Malaysia, Egypt, and Indonesia subjected it to their censorship boards.
When Countries Lose Their Shit Over American Movies | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTCarter has also been a fixture on boards and expert panels, in think tanks and at universities.
Ashton Carter, the Wonk Who Would Lead the Pentagon | Shane Harris, Tim Mak | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis papier-mâché characters are either sounding boards or set dressing.
Now, the foundation has presidents, boards, and accountants, and their job is to file.
Wyclef Jean Talks Lauryn Hill, the Yele Haiti Controversy, and Chris Christie | Marlow Stern | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was only a hut of rough boards, carelessly knocked together for a shepherd's temporary home.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonIn the first place, two or three thicknesses of the paper should be spread on one of the boards.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinThat he discovered two staples upon one side, which was all of boards, without any passage for light.
Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan SwiftThe pedal keys were almost invariably straight and the pedal boards flat.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerOthers, holding to the side of the building, felt with stupefaction the boards totter beneath their touch.
A Lost Hero | Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
British Dictionary definitions for board
/ (bɔːd) /
a long wide flat relatively thin piece of sawn timber
a smaller flat piece of rigid material for a specific purpose: ironing board
(in combination): breadboard; cheeseboard
a person's food or meals, provided regularly for money or sometimes as payment for work done (esp in the phrases full board, board and lodging)
archaic a table, esp one used for eating at, and esp when laden with food
(sometimes functioning as plural) a group of people who officially administer a company, trust, etc: a board of directors
(as modifier): a board meeting
any other committee or council: a board of interviewers
the boards (plural) the acting profession; the stage
short for: blackboard, chessboard, notice board, printed circuit board, springboard, surfboard
stiff cardboard or similar material covered with paper, cloth, etc, used for the outside covers of a book
a flat thin rectangular sheet of composite material, such as plasterboard or chipboard
mainly US
a list on which stock-exchange securities and their prices are posted
informal the stock exchange itself
nautical
the side of a ship
the leg that a sailing vessel makes on a beat to windward
Australian and NZ the part of the floor of a sheep-shearing shed, esp a raised part, where the shearers work
NZ the killing floor of an abattoir or freezing works
any of various portable surfaces specially designed for indoor games such as chess, backgammon, etc
(as modifier): board games
a set of hands in duplicate bridge
a wooden or metal board containing four slots, or often nowadays, a plastic wallet, in which the four hands are placed so that the deal may be replayed with identical hands
the hull of a sailboard, usually made of plastic, to which the mast is jointed and on which a windsurfer stands
See above board
go by the board to be in disuse, neglected, or lost: in these days courtesy goes by the board
on board on or in a ship, boat, aeroplane, or other vehicle
sweep the board
(in gambling) to win all the cards or money
to win every event or prize in a contest
take on board to accept (new ideas, situations, theories, etc)
to go aboard (a vessel, train, aircraft, or other vehicle)
nautical to come alongside (a vessel) before attacking or going aboard
to attack (a ship) by forcing one's way aboard
(tr; often foll by up, in, etc) to cover or shut with boards
(intr) to give or receive meals or meals and lodging in return for money or work
(sometimes foll by out) to receive or arrange for (someone, esp a child) to receive food and lodging away from home, usually in return for payment
Origin of board
1Derived forms of board
- boardable, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with board
see across the board; back to the drawing board; bed and board; bulletin board; by the board; go overboard; on board; open and aboveboard; room and board; stiff as a board; tread the boards.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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