running board

American  

noun

1. a small ledge, step, or footboard, formerly beneath the doors of an automobile, to assist passengers entering or leaving the car.

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running board British  

noun

1. a footboard along the side of a vehicle, esp an early motorcar

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Etymology

Origin of running board

1810–20, in sense “platform from which a large pole boat is poled,”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

running board

In “really urgent” situations, he said other drivers advised him to open the door and stand on the running board to let urine trickle out of the van.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 25, 2021

“I said, ‘Alfred can get out that truck and back it up to the dock standing on a running board.

From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2020

Standard “assist steps,” basically a long running board on each side, eased entry into the tall Suburban.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 29, 2015

The truck parked in front of Alister’s car is a prewar model, with a running board and a fringe of rust on its fenders.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 20, 2012

With his handkerchief he polishes the spoked hubcaps and the headlamps; he kicks mud off the running board, cleans the windows and windshield.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides