snowboard

American  

[snoh-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈsnoʊˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. a board for gliding on snow, resembling a wide ski, to which both feet are secured and that one rides in an upright position.

   Make sure the dimensions of your snowboard meet the competition requirements.

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verb (used without object)

1. to ride a snowboard.

   Of all the places I snowboarded last winter, my favorite was Mammoth Mountain.

snowboard British  

/ ˈsnəʊˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a shaped board, resembling a skateboard without wheels, on which a person can stand to slide across snow

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Other Word Forms

• snowboarder noun
• snowboarding noun

Etymology

Origin of snowboard

First recorded in 1980–85; snow + board

Explanation

A snowboard is very similar to a surfboard, but it's for standing on and sliding down a snowy mountain. If you visit a ski resort, you'll see many people zipping down the slopes on snowboards. The equipment that you use for surfing down snow-covered hills is called a snowboard, and you can also use the word as a verb: many teenagers love to snowboard during the winter. Snowboarders usually wear helmets and strap their snowboards to their boots. They often fly down mountains alongside skiers, and they tend to fall down much more often. Snowboards, along with the word itself, became popular in the 1980's.

Example Sentences

It is a busy morning of action in Cortina, where the snowboard cross medals will be decided.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

It wasn’t immediately clear whether any of those women had ties to the Sugar Bowl Academy, a private ski and snowboard school and club in the Tahoe area.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

The rapper reportedly sent five tickets for the men’s snowboard halfpipe final to the owners of a local restaurant who covered his dinner after there were some troubles with the credit card payment.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

Heavy snow in Livigno on Tuesday morning forced a number of postponements, including the women's snowboard slopestyle final and the men's and women's aerials qualifiers in freestyle skiing.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

A boy was riding a snowboard down the hill—straight toward them!

From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene