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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.

A chalkboard sign advertises “chicken portions” at the market’s namesake values.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 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

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

A fifth-grade classmate misspelled Sylvester’s name on the school chalkboard, and the mistake turned into a prophetic nickname: Sly.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2025

And gazing at the circled letters on the chalkboard, he felt a sudden, terrible chill.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

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