chalkboard

American

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

noun

a blackboard, especially a green or other light-colored one.

chalkboard British

/ ˈtʃɔːkˌbɔːd /

noun

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

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.

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

I was reading a chalkboard menu, when someone spoke over my shoulder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Some reviews on Apple Podcasts have complain it has too many adverts, with one saying that listening to the hosts reading out adverts sounds like "nails on a chalkboard".

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

Pat Riley once wrote on the locker room chalkboard during a playoff run, “No rebounds , no rings.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2025

She spoke in a voice just loud enough to hear and sat at her desk or stood at the chalkboard when she taught.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023