onboard

or on-board

[ on-bawrd, awn- ]

adjective

provided, occurring, etc., on a vehicle: among the ship's many onboard services.
installed and functional within a vehicle or electronic device: onboard computers for aircraft.

verb (used with object)Business.

to assist and support (a new employee) in developing the skills, knowledge, attitudes, etc., needed to do their job.
to interact and exchange information with (a new customer) so as to ensure customer satisfaction, maximize company revenue, etc.: Part of onboarding new clients involves setting expectations and timelines.

to digitize and upload customer data collected offline, typically to improve the results of personalized data-driven marketing: The data we onboarded matched existing data online, providing us with better insight into the individual’s purchasing habits.

Origin of onboard

First recorded in 1965–70; adjective use of adverb phrase on board

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use onboard in a sentence

Everything went smoothly, until the end of the second week: the on-board water filtration system failed.
Victor Mooney’s Epic Adventure for His Dead Brother | Justin Jones | October 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And, of the single, phone-obsessed fliers, who will actually be willing to cruise for an on-board bang?
Wingman, an App for Hookups at 30,000 Feet, Wants To Be the Tinder of Airline Travel | Charlotte Lytton | February 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
You could also carry it on-board: The image was published in an edition of 200, and came folded up in a book-size box.
Magic Bus | Blake Gopnik | July 3, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was that terrible once-on-board-the-lugger-and-the-girl-is-mine-I-must-and-shall-possess-her feeling in its most acute form.
The Limit | Ada Leverson
Should you like a "Once-on-board-the-lugger-and-the-girl-is-mine" sort of villain as a lover?
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, October 12, 1895 | Various

If Free-on-Board is a professional grain gambler, hit him on the head.
Letters of Peregrine Pickle | George P. Upton
Henry earl of Northumberland likewise joined the fleet, on-board a vessel hired by himself.
Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth | Lucy Aikin

Other Idioms and Phrases with onboard

onboard

Joining in or participating, as in The department head addressed the new employees, saying “Welcome on board,” or The opera company has a new vocal coach on board to help the soloists. This expression alludes to being on or in a vessel, airplane, or other vehicle. [Colloquial; second half of 1900s]

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