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.
BC Partners, a British investment firm, has committed up to $300 million to the relaunch, but its total investment is contingent on a certain number of players staying aboard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Astronaut photograph ISS075-E-85249 was taken on August 28, 2026, by a member of the Expedition 75 crew aboard the International Space Station.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The researchers are currently roughly halfway through their journey to the remote atoll aboard the Marin Mainiku, a Kiribati National Shipping Line vessel.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
An astronaut crew that carried out an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station splashed down as planned Thursday off the coast of California.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
When the funeral was over, the president’s body would be placed aboard a special train that could carry him home to Springfield.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
