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chalkboard

American  
[chawk-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈtʃɔkˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

  • chalkboards
    plural
  1. a blackboard, especially a green or other light-colored one.


chalkboard British  
/ ˈtʃɔːkˌbɔːd /

noun

  1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): blackboard.  a hard or rigid surface made of a smooth usually dark substance, used for writing or drawing on with chalk, esp in teaching

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of chalkboard

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; chalk + board

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:

I used a little chalkboard to say things.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 24, 2026

It’s still going to be Professor Barrett at the chalkboard explaining the difference between a substantive canon and a rule of statutory construction.

From Slate Feb. 20, 2026

Dunkin’ worked with former NFL offensive lineman—and current Massachusetts Institute of Technology math professor—John Urschel to post a chalkboard math problem online to extend buzz about the ad.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 9, 2026

There are rolled-up yoga mats in the corner, and a chalkboard outside lists times for a breathwork class with Sarah, a soundbath session with Guilia, and restorative yoga and meditation in the afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 6, 2026

I looked at the chalkboard menu hanging behind him.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

But even mathematicians were astonished when OpenAI announced that one of its models resolved a puzzle known as the unit distance problem without the help of any humans scribbling a bunch of equations on chalkboards.

From The Wall Street Journal May 30, 2026

"I gave up my job as a barista because of my son's mental health problems, and this is something that just happened… I was already doing chalkboards and portraits."

From BBC Dec. 10, 2025

It allows children aged 6-14 to assemble structures with wooden slats, explore homemade “ornithopters” and try writing in reverse on mounted chalkboards.

From Washington Times Jun. 19, 2023

Professors linger in empty classrooms, trying to solve complex equations on chalkboards.

From Salon Apr. 2, 2023

So that first Wednesday I washed all the chalkboards.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

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