chalkboard

American  

[chawk-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈtʃɔkˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

chalkboards plural

1. a blackboard, especially a green or other light-colored one.

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chalkboard British  

/ ˈtʃɔːkˌbɔːd /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): blackboard.  a hard or rigid surface made of a smooth usually dark substance, used for writing or drawing on with chalk, esp in teaching

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chalkboards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chalkboard

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; chalk + board

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chalkboard chalkboards

It’s still going to be Professor Barrett at the chalkboard explaining the difference between a substantive canon and a rule of statutory construction.

From Slate ● Feb. 20, 2026

There are rolled-up yoga mats in the corner, and a chalkboard outside lists times for a breathwork class with Sarah, a soundbath session with Guilia, and restorative yoga and meditation in the afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026

I was reading a chalkboard menu, when someone spoke over my shoulder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

The images also show what appears to be a dental chair and a room with a white chalkboard on which words including "truth", "deception" and "political" appear, among others.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025

Doc’s usually sunny, smiling face was blank as a chalkboard.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

But even mathematicians were astonished when OpenAI announced that one of its models resolved a puzzle known as the unit distance problem without the help of any humans scribbling a bunch of equations on chalkboards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

Lockers and chalkboards still line the walls and the surrounding streets are dotted with boarded-up businesses and crumbling houses, legacies of decades of under-investment.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2023

It allows children aged 6-14 to assemble structures with wooden slats, explore homemade “ornithopters” and try writing in reverse on mounted chalkboards.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2023

Professors linger in empty classrooms, trying to solve complex equations on chalkboards.

From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2023

Bizarre machines, chalkboards full of odd notations, and people hunched over tiny slips of paper.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin