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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

• preboarding adjective

Etymology

Origin of boarding

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

Example Sentences

He conceived the social experiment based on a combination of his curiosity about people, the influence of “Lord of the Flies” and “Robinson Crusoe,” and his boarding school experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

One South Sudanese sophomore at Bates College in Maine was stopped from boarding her flight back to the U.S. the day after the ban was announced.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The newspaper describes her as a "dog breeder and horse lover" who ran Croft Farm, a boarding kennels in the village Thorpe in Balne.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Authorities also sent Tibetan children to state-run boarding schools at ever-younger ages, educating them predominantly in Mandarin and inculcating Chinese culture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

In my second year, the missionaries built a dormitory and started a boarding school.

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

Related Words

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