boarding

American  

[bawr-ding, bohr-] / ˈbɔr dɪŋ, ˈboʊr- /

noun

1. wooden boards collectively.

2. a structure of boards, as in a fence or a floor.

3. the act of a person who boards a ship, train, airplane, or the like.

   an uneventful boarding.

---

boarding British  

/ ˈbɔːdɪŋ /

noun

1. a structure of boards, such as a floor or fence

2. timber boards collectively

3. 1. the act of embarking on an aircraft, train, ship, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a boarding pass

4. a process used in tanning to accentuate the natural grain of hides, in which the surface of a softened leather is lightly creased by folding grain to grain and the fold is worked to and fro across the leather

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preboarding
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of boarding

First recorded in 1525–35; board + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Then Miller enlisted investment help from his friend, railroad magnate Henry Huntington, transformed the boarding house into a hotel and renamed it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

Platner for a short time attended The Hotchkiss School, a boarding school in Connecticut, but says he was soon kicked out for failing to attend class.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

Typical rush hour congestion already creates borderline unsafe conditions for boarding and exiting popular junctions like Penn Station and Secaucus, partially because these rail lines already run over capacity.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

Richard Nixon left the White House via the South Lawn after announcing his resignation in 1974 in the culmination of the Watergate scandal, boarding a military helicopter and giving his trademark double victory sign.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

I was away at boarding schools from the age of six, and when I wasn’t at school I was usually at cattle camp with my brothers and the other men.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

Related Words

• catch
• climb on
• enter
• get on
• hop on