noun
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a board functioning as the base of anything
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Also called: skirting board. a skirting made of wood
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of baseboard
Explanation
A baseboard is a piece of wood molding that runs along the bottom of a wall. Where the bottom of a baseboard ends, the floor begins. A baseboard is a decorative architectural element you'll see in most homes, usually a wide board that's painted to match the trim color of the room. A baseboard is useful for hiding any unevenness in the joint where the wall meets the floor. In Britain, this is called skirting. The word baseboard, from the mid-1800s, combines base, "bottom," and board, or "plank."
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:
Just by reducing the reliance on baseboard heating, Hassan Apartments projects to cut its annual electricity consumption by about 12%—170,000 kWh—and prevented the release of 130 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
One of the squares disappears when you place the first piece of a row against the wall or a baseboard.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
A maintenance worker then ripped up the baseboard to find a broken pipe covered in mushrooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2022
If you live in an apartment that has baseboard electric heating, it can get quite expensive — $250-$300 per month.
From Encyclopedia.com ● Mar. 21, 2018
From my spot on the stained carpet, I can see two spider webs and flowered wallpaper that’s peeling at the baseboard.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
In the co-ed house, residents share kitchen duties, rotating bathroom assignments, and a deep-cleaning every six weeks: baseboards, rugs, stairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Often, the instinct is to just begin: grab a garbage bag, empty the freezer, start wiping baseboards, briefly consider alphabetizing your spices.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026
As she stuffed more linens around the baseboards, water flowed from beneath her kitchen cabinets and through her bathroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2024
They particularly like to hunker down anywhere near where people sleep, such as in mattresses, furniture and baseboards.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 13, 2023
The living room has been painted, the fixtures installed, the baseboards added on.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
