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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.


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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Alaska also plans to replace Hawaiian Airlines’s retiring Boeing 717 fleet with Hawaiian-branded Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with an enhanced onboard experience and Honolulu-based pilots and flight attendants.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 21, 2026

China’s battery titans, including CATL, control vital patents on technologies such as sodium-ion battery chemistry, considered by many the next generation in onboard energy storage.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 11, 2026

The Traitors star was 23 years old and travelling the world onboard a Christian evangelical missionary ship when he came out to his fellow church members.

From BBC Jul. 4, 2026

The RMT union said it had received reports that passengers and onboard train staff have sustained what it described as "serious injuries".

From BBC Jun. 19, 2026

White turned the wagon around and again headed south, his family and all of his servants safely onboard.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy

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