noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of boardwalk
Explanation
A boardwalk is a wooden path along a beach. In some places, it’s just a walkway over the marshes, but in others, it’s where all the action is, like in the song from the 1960’s “Under the Boardwalk.” Some boardwalks are simply wooden walkways, built so pedestrians can stroll near the water without damaging seaside plants or getting sand in their shoes. Other boardwalks are much larger commercial areas, often even built with concrete rather than wood. One famous boardwalk, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, gives tourists a place to gamble, eat, drink, and buy souvenirs. This boardwalk is, in fact, considered the first in the US and is credited with inspiring the word itself.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The King walked along a new boardwalk through the wetlands to see the conservation work being done to protect this vulnerable, low lying island from climate change.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Even during Shabbat, the boardwalk here is full of families basking in the sunshine, electric scooters whizzing past, and bars blasting American hits.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Dramatic photos and video footage showed homes along the city's peninsula teetering precariously, while its historic boardwalk was partially swept away.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Residents walked and rode bicycles along the boardwalk as dozers and excavators moved along the beach, reinforcing the several-foot-high berms built to protect homes from the ocean waves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
When we left there we ate a couple dogs each on a bench in the middle of the boardwalk, checking out all the weirdos walking past and the tourists pointing at ’em behind their backs.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
For instance, an association covering single-family housing doesn’t deal with issues such as environmental risks or maintenance of things like boardwalks that a single-family beach HOA may have to tackle.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
A journey across over 60 miles of sand, cliffs and boardwalks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
On-site operations have been complicated by the fens' terrain -- a patchwork of heath, peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
He recommends visitors hike the Curonian Spit—a thin 61-mile stretch of sand dunes along the Baltic Sea—and cross the wooden boardwalks that span Estonia’s wetlands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
He had chosen it because one of the upper windows afforded a view down to the boardwalks, and also out to the ships.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
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