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:
Start by measuring the width of the wall you intend to use and the height from the top of the baseboard to the ceiling; sketch a scale replica using a ruler.
From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2023
On Tuesday, when a child began using the baseboard of the sculpture as a trampoline, Nurse said it did not bother him: He was relieved, he said, at the sculpture’s durability.
From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2022
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
Luckily, the machine had a rubber strip around its base and every time I bumped into a baseboard, the machine bounced back, giving me a slight jolt in protest.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
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
That includes checking the mattress, baseboards, behind the headboard, nightstands and curtains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
Tape drop cloths where they meet baseboards, Walters says.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
She had been creeping along the baseboards and peeping out windows.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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.
