onboard

American  

[on-bawrd, awn-] / ˈɒnˈbɔrd, ˈɔn- /

Or on-board

adjective

1. provided, occurring, etc., on a vehicle.

   among the ship's many onboard services.

2. installed and functional within a vehicle or electronic device.

   onboard computers for aircraft.

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verb (used with object)

Business.

1. to assist and support (a new employee) in developing the skills, knowledge, attitudes, etc., needed to do their job.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Etymology

Origin of onboard

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

Example Sentences

Glimpsed in “Alien: Earth’s” first episode, the Maginot had to be fully fitted out for Episode 5’s flashback to the onboard horror that preceded the crash-landing.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

A 2025 report by network testing company Ookla ranked the UK's onboard wi-fi speed as 16th of 18 major European and Asian countries.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Streamers are now faced with having to assemble the broadest range of content on their platforms to keep subscribers onboard for longer.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

Using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, Juno's onboard camera, and even images captured by amateur astronomers, the team pinpointed the locations of several unusual storms Wong called "stealth" superstorms.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2026

Milwaukee put three steamers and their crews onboard a train, leaving that city with only one working engine.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy