clipboard

American

[klip-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈklɪpˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

a small board having at the top a clip for holding papers and serving as a portable writing surface.

clipboard British

/ ˈklɪpˌbɔːd /

noun

a portable writing board with a spring clip at the top for holding paper
a temporary storage area in desktop publishing where text or graphics are held after the cut command or the copy command

"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 clipboard

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; clip ² + 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.

Counting inventory has changed a lot: The clipboard is gone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Then I usually hear the tip of their pen jab the clipboard.

From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025

His attention to the smallest of tactical specifics has already surprised members of the team and, even in largely meaningless pre-season friendlies, his tactical clipboard has stayed close to hand.

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025

“I honestly have no idea,” a worker with a clipboard and a walkie-talkie said when asked what they were shooting.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2024

She handed the cash over to Rondell and signed his clipboard.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

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