checkerboard

American  

[chek-er-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈtʃɛk ərˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

checkerboards plural

1. a board marked off into 64 squares of two alternating colors, arranged in eight vertical and eight horizontal rows, on which checkers or chess is played.

2. a design resembling this.

   The garden was laid out in a checkerboard.

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verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in or mark with a checkerboard pattern.

   a wall checkerboarded with black and white tiles.

checkerboard British  

/ ˈtʃɛkəˌbɔːd /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): draughtboard.  a square board divided into 64 squares of alternating colours, used for playing checkers or chess

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• checkerboards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of checkerboard

First recorded in 1765–75; checker ¹ + board

Example Sentences

But to try one of Vancouver’s most beloved Chinese restaurants, make for Chinatown BBQ, where the checkerboard floors and hanging meat evoke a classic Cantonese chopshop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

For added whimsy, the tree is the centerpiece of an “Alice in Wonderland”-style checkerboard of tile and grass.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 15, 2025

Powers and his team repeatedly paired a projected checkerboard visual display with a one-second tone.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025

This outfit combined the designer's two famous patterns - the LV monogram pattern on the waistcoat and jacket, as well as the damier checkerboard on the shorts.

From BBC • May 5, 2025

The checkerboard lay on the coffee table, ready to go.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

Related Words

• chain
• grid
• net
• organization
• structure
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