checkerboard

American  

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

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of checkerboard

First recorded in 1765–75; checker ¹ + board

Example Sentences

They include the removal of the black-and-white checkerboard floor, which fans of the show came to recognize and love.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

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

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

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025

Floors are lined with vibrant green checkerboard patterns and wall-to-wall carpet.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2025

The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

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• grid
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