Meaning of board in English

board

noun

/bɔːd/ us

/bɔːrd/

board noun (WOOD)

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B2 [ C ]

a thin, flat piece of cut wood or other hard material, often used for a particular purpose:

Cheeses were laid out on a board.

There was a "For Sale" board outside the house.

See also

backboard
breadboard
cheeseboard
chopping board
cutting board
serving board
soundboard

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A2 [ C ]

a flat piece of wood or other hard material with a special pattern on it, used for playing games:

a chess board

See also

checkerboard

A1 [ C ]

a blackboard or whiteboard :

The teacher wrote her name up on the board.

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A2 [ C ]

a noticeboard UK :

I stuck the notice (up) on the board.

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[ C ]

a diving board :

I dived off the top board today, Dad.

Jena Ardell/Moment/GettyImages

the boards [ plural ]

the wooden fence surrounding the ice surface in ice hockey:

He'd crashed into the boards and hurt his leg quite badly.

old-fashioned

the stage in a theatre:

tread the boards It was over two decades since he had trodden the boards (= acted in a theatre).

More examplesFewer examples

Today's specials are written on the board.
He stuck up a notice on the board with pins.
He advertises his services on the company notice board.
When it was his turn to dive, he gulped and stepped up onto the diving board.
The man's body was as stiff as a board when it was found in the snow.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Types of wood

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Board games

Publishing: paper & stationery

Schools in general

Swimming

board noun (PEOPLE)

C1 [ C usually singular, + sing/pl verb ]

the group of people who are responsible for controlling and organizing a company or organization:

She started in the firm after college and now she's on the board.

She serves on the board of a literacy charity set up by her family.

Board members will vote on the measures at their meeting tomorrow.

See also

board of directors

board of governors

More examplesFewer examples

The decision will have to be ratified by the executive board.
There's a board of five directors, but she is the Managing Director.
There is a predominance of people with an arts degree on the board of governors.
She persuaded the board of her worthiness to run the company.
The editorial board has an expert with a world-wide reputation in the person of Professor Jameson.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Bosses & managers

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Organizations - position & status

board noun (EXAM)

boards [ plural ] US informal

an official examination given by some medical and business organizations in the US:

This is my last chance to pass the boards.

board noun (TRANSPORT)

on board

(or on board something)

on a boat, train, or aircraft:

As soon as I was on board, I began to have second thoughts about leaving.

as part of a group or team, especially for a special purpose:

bring someone on board Let's bring Rob on board for the Saudi deal - he's the expert.

in agreement with a particular course of action, especially so that you get involved with it:

Seeing his enthusiasm and expertise, others quickly got on board with his grand ideas.

board noun (MEALS)

B2 [ U ]

meals provided when you are staying somewhere, usually for money

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Accommodating people

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Meals & parts of meals

Idioms

across the board
go by the board
take something on board

board

verb

/bɔːd/ us

/bɔːrd/

board verb (GET ON)

B1 [ I or T ]

to get onto or allow people to get onto a boat, train, or aircraft:

At London airport she boarded a plane to Australia.

Will passengers waiting to board please go to the ticket counter?

More examplesFewer examples

The platform was crammed with people trying to board the train.
I took out a travel insurance policy before I boarded the plane.
They boarded a ship that was sailing the next day.
He was thought to have boarded the plane in New York.
Flight 474 to Buenos Aires is now boarding at gate 9.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Boarding and alighting from modes of transport

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board verb (STAY)

[ I ]

to pay to sleep and eat meals in someone's house:

During his stay in England he boarded with a family in Bath.

[ I ]

to sleep and eat at school during the school term:

When you went to school were you a day student or did you board?

[ T ] UK

to arrange for a pet animal to be temporarily taken care of at a place other than its home:

He boards the dog out when he goes on business trips.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Living or sleeping somewhere

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Accommodating people

board verb (SLIDE)

[ I ]

to slide on the snow by standing on a specially shaped board:

I love to go boarding in the winter.

Synonym

snowboard

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Winter sports

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board verb (HIT)

[ I ]

in ice hockey, to make a dangerous hit that sends an opponent into one of the boards that surround the rink (= playing area):

He was given a penalty for boarding.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Winter sports

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Phrasal verb

board something up

(Definition of board from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

board | American Dictionary

board

noun

/bɔrd, boʊrd/

board noun (FLAT PIECE)

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[ C ]

a thin, flat piece of hard material such as wood or plastic:

The floor boards of the old house squeaked as he walked across them.

[ C ]

A board is also a flat piece of hard material that is made to be used for a particular purpose:

an ironing board

a cheese board

[ C ]

A board can be a chalkboard.

[ C ]

A board can also be a circuit board.

board noun (PEOPLE)

[ C ]

the group of people who are responsible for controlling the operation of a public or private organization:

a community/school board

She sits on the board of several large companies.

board noun (MEALS)

[ U ]

meals provided when you are staying somewhere

Idiom

on board

board

verb

/bɔrd, boʊrd/

board verb (GET ON)

[ I/T ]

to get onto or allow people to get onto an aircraft, train, or ship:

[ I ] Flight 701 to Los Angeles is now boarding at gate 14A.

board verb (MEALS)

[ T ]

to arrange for an animal to be temporarily taken care of and fed at a place other than its home:

[ T ] We board our dogs at the kennel when we go away.

Phrasal verb

board up something

(Definition of board from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

board | Business English

board

noun

/bɔːd/ us

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[ C or S ] MANAGEMENT, WORKPLACE

(also board of directors)

the group of people who shareholders choose to manage a company or organization:

The board has decided to reject the offer.

Club manager, Gomez, insists he has the full backing of the board.

be/sit/have a seat on the board He sat on the board of the WPP Group for over ten years.

step down/stand down/resign from the board She will stand down from the board at the forthcoming AGM.

At the age of 27, she is the youngest member to join the board.

an emergency board meeting.

a non-executive board member

Compare

board of directors
board of trustees
management board

[ C ] MANAGEMENT

a group of people who are responsible for making rules and decisions on behalf of an organization:

A complaint was filed with the state medical board.

a school governing board

[ C ] IT

(also circuit board)

a flat object covered with small metal electrical connections that create one or more circuits, used in computers and other electronic equipment :

a graphics board

[ C ] WORKPLACE

(also noticeboard)

a flat object on a wall on which information can be fixed:

There is a list of names on the board outside my office.

[ U ]

(also board and lodging)

a room and meals that are provided for someone who is staying away from home, for example in a hotel:

The package includes food and board.

the boards

WORKPLACE

examinations given by some business organizations in the US:

The best strategy for passing the boards is to study early and often.

be above board

to be legal and honest:

Pay-offs and all other financial dealings were ruled to have been above board.

across the board

affecting all areas, parts of an organization, people, etc. involved in a particular situation:

The new 18% tax rate will apply across the board.

be/come/get on board

to be or start to be involved in an activity:

Make sure all senior managers are on board and involved in the internet strategy.

bring/get sb on board

to make someone become involved in an activity:

A consultancy firm was brought on board to ensure consistency and compatibility.

on board

TRANSPORT

travelling on a plane, ship, or train:

The aircraft had 92 passengers on board.

take sth on board

to accept a new idea, method of working, etc.:

It's important that we take on board the environmental concerns of consumers.

Examples of board

board

This is evident in changes of the nomenclature of family planning board to family welfare organization.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Each move consists of a jump by one man over one or more other men, the men jumped over being removed from the board.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

After it was disbanded, he took the lead in a number of other projects together with some of the other board members.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

On closer viewing, the individual boards and the grain of the timber are revealed as traces of construction.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Poverty was the main reason why children were boarded out, frequently associated with loss of parents and difficulties in providing for a large household.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The government therefore set up a marketing-board type of purchasing arrangement, with higher, fixed producer prices.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Although the basic pattern is the same in 1995 as in 1975, recruitment of board chairmen has still changed significantly for both types of organizations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

No single minister was responsible for either the actions of his board, or the conduct of government in its area of activity.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, they argue that research boards need agreed-on ethical standards so that the health services research community can adopt uniformly good practices.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

To these ends, the industry kept records of the boards' rulings in order to avoid costly editing that the censors might order.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These gifts not only endeared him to many friends and colleagues but made him a valued member of boards and committees.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

This is a dual responsibility that the media is simply not equipped to take on board.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Evidence suggests that this governing board regularly exercises effective oversight of the president's activities.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

At the drawing board the struggle is to find that difficult synthesis that, when discovered, seems self-evidently correct.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Subjects were asked to par tic ipate and informed consent was obtained prior to administering for this internal review board-approved study.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of board

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with board

board

These are words often used in combination with board.

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advisory board

The feedback was discussed by the advisory board, who produced a second draft questionnaire.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

appointed board

It has an appointed board of directors who are paid.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

board certification

If a strike by residents were prolonged or if it backfired and resulted in their dismissal, the strike might interfere with their board certification.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all collocations with board

What is the pronunciation of board?