snowboard

American  

[snoh-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈsnoʊˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. a board for gliding on snow, resembling a wide ski, to which both feet are secured and that one rides in an upright position.

   Make sure the dimensions of your snowboard meet the competition requirements.

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verb (used without object)

1. to ride a snowboard.

   Of all the places I snowboarded last winter, my favorite was Mammoth Mountain.

snowboard British  

/ ˈsnəʊˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a shaped board, resembling a skateboard without wheels, on which a person can stand to slide across snow

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Other Word Forms

• snowboarder
  noun
• snowboarding
  noun

Etymology

Origin of snowboard

First recorded in 1980–85; snow + board

Explanation

A snowboard is very similar to a surfboard, but it's for standing on and sliding down a snowy mountain. If you visit a ski resort, you'll see many people zipping down the slopes on snowboards. The equipment that you use for surfing down snow-covered hills is called a snowboard, and you can also use the word as a verb: many teenagers love to snowboard during the winter. Snowboarders usually wear helmets and strap their snowboards to their boots. They often fly down mountains alongside skiers, and they tend to fall down much more often. Snowboards, along with the word itself, became popular in the 1980's.

Example Sentences

Snowboard gold medallist Benjamin Karl says he is "99 percent" sure that parallel giant slalom will remain on the Winter Olympics programme despite fears it will be axed.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

An executive from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation told reporters Monday that Vonn was simply “incredibly unlucky” in the crash.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

Ski and Snowboard athletes testing a new AI tool built in collaboration with Google Cloud.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Great Britain's Charlotte Bankes takes Snowboard Cross silver after photo finish with Italy's Michela Moioli who wins gold at the Snowboard Cross finals in Switzerland.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2025

Kilde wants to be heard by race organizers including the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2024