aboard
Americanadverb
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on board; on, in, or into a ship, train, airplane, bus, etc..
to step aboard.
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alongside; to the side.
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Baseball. on base.
a homer with two aboard.
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into a group as a new member.
The office manager welcomed him aboard.
preposition
idioms
adverb
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on, in, onto, or into (a ship, train, aircraft, etc)
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nautical alongside (a vessel)
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a warning to passengers to board a vehicle, ship, etc
Etymology
Origin of aboard
1350–1400; Middle English abord ( e ) ( see a- 1, board), perhaps conflated with Middle French a bord
Explanation
The adverb aboard means on board, as in on a ship, train or plane. Usually the captain will welcome you aboard with a brief speech if you're lucky — or a long one if you're not. Aboard comes from the French phrase à bord, which has the same meaning as the English word — on board. If you were just hired, your new manager might say "Welcome aboard" (the figurative company train). The phrase "All aboard!" is said as a warning before departure, especially before a ship or train leaves. It means, in essence: haul your keister up here quick or you'll be left behind!
Vocabulary lists containing aboard
Words Every Pirate Should Know
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"The Star-Spangled Banner" and "The Flag We Love"
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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.
That means that for passengers aboard Journey Beyond’s Australian train rides, you may be biting down on a piece of grilled kangaroo as one hops away in the distance.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Murat Senkul, the mayor of the coastal town of Kyrenia, told broadcaster CNN Turk that 159 of those aboard had been reached.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
There, I joined a dozen young locals clambering aboard a rustic barge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The couple -- who quit Britain and royal duties six years ago and moved to California -- landed aboard a private jet at Birmingham Airport, The Telegraph newspaper and other media said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Ancient records reveal that in wartime the number of soldiers was doubled, swelling the number of men aboard to some seven hundred.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
