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above board

British  

adjective

  1. in the open; without dishonesty, concealment, or fraud

"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

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.

And that might be completely above board, as long as you’re aware of it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

All of that was above board, and correct.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 6, 2026

Still, “arguably ineffective” is not the same as “completely above board, legally.”

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2024

One email from Mr Platt to Grossman asked "are you 100% this is above board?" to which he replied that it was "all kosher and good", Mr Boyce added.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2023

Finally it came out that everything was above board.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

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.