washboard

[ wosh-bawrd, -bohrd, wawsh- ]

/ ˈwɒʃˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd, ˈwɔʃ- /

noun

a rectangular board or frame, typically with a corrugated metallic surface, on which clothes are rubbed in the process of washing.

a baseboard around the walls of a room.

Also called splashboard. Nautical.

a thin, broad plank fastened to and projecting above the gunwale or side of a boat to keep out the spray and sea.
a similar board on the sill of a port.

adjective

resembling a washboard in being rough and bumpy: a washboard roadbed.

Nearby words

Origin of washboard

First recorded in 1735–45; wash + board

Related formswash·board·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for washboard

Although the NFL party animal loves flaunting his washboard abs, he seems more fratboy than Fabio.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Nine months later, he awakens from his coma with washboard abs and the ability to run really fast.
‘The Flash’ Review: Teen Angst Gets a Comic Book Quickie|Sujay Kumar|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not 17-year-olds with washboard abs, but smooth-cheeked preteens and young adolescents.
Penn State Sex-Abuse Case Revives Issue of Using Chemical Castration|Michelle Cottle|November 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
MemphisYou're more likely to find a good BBQ joint here than a guy with washboard abs.
Best (and Worst) Cities to Meet Men|The Daily Beast|October 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Carlson was a little above medium height, dark complexioned, his brow a washboard of horizontal wrinkles.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Our washboard factory was a great wooden structure that had been built for a roller-skating rink.
Hints to Pilgrims|Charles Stephen Brooks
Drennan—To continue placing more confidence in the washboard than in the Ouija board.
The Beaver, Vol. I, No. 4, January 1921|Hudson's Bay Company
He reached for the washboard as he ceased, and smiled lovingly on his mother.
The Widow O'Callaghan's Boys|Gulielma Zollinger
The wind came in gusts, and now every flaw carried her down to the washboard.
The Coming Wave|Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for washboard

washboard

/ (ˈwɒʃˌbɔːd) /

noun

a board having a surface, usually of corrugated metal, on which esp formerly, clothes were scrubbed

such a board used as a rhythm instrument played with the fingers in skiffle, Country and Western music, etc

a less common US word for skirting board

nautical

a vertical planklike shield fastened to the gunwales of a boat to prevent water from splashing over the side
Also called: splashboarda shield under a port for the same purpose

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for washboard

washboard

clothes-cleaning device, 1882, from wash (v.) + board (n.1). As a percussion instrument, attested from 1925; in reference to abdominal muscles, recorded from 1950 in boxing jargon.