footboard

American  

[foot-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈfʊtˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. a board or small platform on which to support the foot or feet. foot.

2. an upright piece across the foot of a bedstead.

3. a treadle.

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footboard British  

/ ˈfʊtˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a treadle or foot-operated lever on a machine

2. a vertical board at the foot of a bed

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Etymology

Origin of footboard

An Americanism dating back to 1755–65; foot + board

Example Sentences

In the oil painting, a young woman in a red dress sits on the edge of a motel bed, gripping the footboard tensely.

From Los Angeles Times

“My principle inheritance has always been guilt,” writes Schwarcz, who recalls nights of listening to his insomniac father’s heels rhythmically kick the bed’s footboard.

From New York Times

Young men cling for their lives on the footboards, while the mashed throng inside gasps for air.

From BBC

Get rid of footboards or anything that sticks up that you can bump into.

From Washington Post

Choose sofas with lower, thinner armrests and beds without footboards.

From The Guardian