billboard

¹ American  

[bil-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈbɪlˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. a flat surface or board, usually outdoors, on which large advertisements or notices are posted.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place, advertise, proclaim, etc., on or as if on a billboard.

   The movie was billboarded as the year's biggest hit.

billboard ² American  

[bil-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈbɪlˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

Nautical.

1. anchor bed.

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billboard ¹ British  

/ ˈbɪlˌbɔːd /

noun

1. another name for hoarding

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billboard ² British  

/ ˈbɪlˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a fitting at the bow of a vessel for securing an anchor

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Etymology

Origin of billboard¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; bill ¹ + board

Origin of billboard²

First recorded in 1855–60; bill ³ + board

Explanation

A billboard is a giant roadside sign. You might pass several billboards on the highway advertising a car dealership, a restaurant, or anything else someone paid to have on a billboard big enough to be seen by passing cars. When a company decides how to advertise, it may buy Internet ads, TV commercials, newspaper spreads, or billboard advertisements. A billboard is a good way for a business to catch people's attention, because it’s so big and a commuter may drive or walk past it five times a week. The word billboard first appeared in American English in the 1840s, meaning the board or wall where posters or handbills could be pasted. Billboard is also the name of a music magazine.

Example Sentences

Born in Cincinnati, Turner inherited a billboard company from his father that he turned into Turner Broadcasting System, an Atlanta-based television and movie giant that he eventually sold to Time Warner in 1995.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Smith became visibly angry when describing a billboard in the county promoting ICE as “the bouncers of America.”

From Slate • May 4, 2026

The billboard poster claimed the Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Epigenetic Serum was "clinically proven" following a study of 160 people who used the product for four weeks before being asked how much younger they thought they looked.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

JJ: When did the Fashion Nova billboard above the Vertigo click for you as something that felt representative of the city, or something that you wanted to depict?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

His students viewed Mr. Tuffett’s billboard more darkly: he had assessed them twenty-five cents apiece and had taken the credit for it himself.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Related Words

• advertisement
• placard
• poster
• signboard