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board¹

  • /bɔːd/ UK
  • /boːd/ Australia, British, New Zealand
  • /boɹd/ Canada, US
  • /boɾd/ Scotland
  • [boːɾd] Scotland
  • /boːd/
  • /boəd/ Eastern New England
  • /boɹd/
  • /bɔəd/ UK, obsolete

Sounds like bored, baud, bawd (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)d

Where it comes from

Board (duplicate bridge)

From Middle English boord, boorde, bord, bourd, burd, from Old English bord, from Proto-West Germanic *bord, from Proto-Germanic *burdą (“board, plank; edge; table”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- (“tip, top”) + *-dʰeti or *bʰerH- (“to pierce; to strike”) + *-dʰeti. The senses "food" and "council" are by metonymy from the sense "table".

Cognates

Cognate with Scots buird (“board; table”), Yola borde (“table”), West Frisian boerd (“board”), Dutch bord (“dish, plate; board, plank; sign”), boord (“border, boundary; bank, shore”), German Bord (“shelf”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish bord (“plank; table”), Elfdalian buord (“table”), Faroese and Icelandic borð (“board, plank; table”), Gothic *𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳 (*baurd, “board, plank”) (whence 𐍆𐍉𐍄𐌿𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳 (fōtubaurd, “footstool”).

noun boards · boord · bord

  1. countable, uncountable A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any material, usually wood or similar, often for use in construction or furniture-making. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.
  2. countable, uncountable A device (e.g., switchboard) containing electrical switches and other controls and designed to control lights, sound, telephone connections, etc.
  3. countable, uncountable A flat surface with markings for playing a board game. Each player starts the game with four counters on the board.
  4. abbreviation, countable, uncountable Short for blackboard, whiteboard, chessboard, surfboard, circuit board, message board (on the Internet), bulletin board, etc.
  5. countable, uncountable A committee that manages the business of an organization, e.g., a board of directors. We have to wait to hear back from the board.
  6. uncountable Regular meals in a place of lodging; the price paid for them. board and lodging
  7. countable, uncountable The side of a ship. Now board to board the rival vessels row.
  8. countable, uncountable The distance a sailing vessel runs between tacks when working to windward.
  9. countable, in plural, often, uncountable The wall that surrounds an ice hockey rink.
  10. archaic, countable, uncountable A long, narrow table, like that used in a medieval dining hall. Fruit of all kinds […] / She gathers, tribute large, and on the board / Heaps with unsparing hand.
  11. countable, uncountable Paper made thick and stiff like a board, for book covers, etc.; pasteboard. to bind a book in boards
  12. countable, uncountable A level or stage having a particular two-dimensional layout. The object of the game is to move the smiley face over the preset board, in doing so removing the green squares and ending up at the exit […]
  13. countable, uncountable The portion of the playing field where creatures or minions can be placed (or played, summoned, etc.).
  14. countable, uncountable A container for holding pre-dealt cards that is used to allow multiple sets of players to play the same cards.
  15. countable, uncountable A Philippine provincial or Uruguayan departmental assembly or council.

verb boards · boarding · boarded · boord · bord

  1. transitive To step or climb onto or otherwise enter a ship, aircraft, train or other conveyance. It is time to board the aircraft.

    Opposite: alight, deboard, disembark

  2. transitive To provide someone with meals and lodging, usually in exchange for money. to board one’s horse at a livery stable
  3. transitive To receive meals and lodging in exchange for money. We are several of us, gentlemen and ladies, who board in the same house,
  4. transitive To (at least attempt to) capture an enemy ship by going alongside and grappling her, then invading her with a boarding party.
  5. intransitive To obtain meals, or meals and lodgings, statedly for compensation
  6. archaic, transitive To approach (someone); to make advances to, accost. Ere long with like againe he boorded mee, / Saying, he now had boulted all the floure […]
  7. To cover with boards or boarding. to board a house
  8. To hit (someone) with a wooden board.
  9. transitive To write something on a board, especially a blackboard or whiteboard.

board²

  • /bɔːd/ UK
  • /boːd/ Australia, British, New Zealand
  • /boɹd/ Canada, US
  • /boɾd/ Scotland
  • [boːɾd] Scotland
  • /boːd/
  • /boəd/ Eastern New England
  • /boɹd/
  • /bɔəd/ UK, obsolete

Sounds like bored, baud, bawd (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)d

Where it comes from

From backboard.

noun boards

  1. informal A rebound.

Board³

proper noun Boards

  1. A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: panel, plank, table, control panel, instrument panel, get on, dining table, room, circuit board, card, gameboard, circuit card, control board, display board, display panel, baseboard

Translations

Every language

noun long, wide and thin piece of wood or other material

Españoltablero, tabla
한국어판자 panja
日本語板 ita
中文板 bǎn, 板子 bǎnzi
हिन्दीतख़्ता taxtā, तख्ता takhtā, पट्ट paṭṭ
Kiswahilibao
Portuguêstábua
Françaisplanche
DeutschBrett
Italianoasse, tavola
Ελληνικάσανίδα sanída
Românăscândură
Русскийдоска́ doská
Tiếng Việtbảng, ván, phiến
العربيةلَوْحَة lawḥa, خَشَبَة ḵašaba
עבריתלוּחַ lúakh

noun device containing electrical switches

Españoltablero
Kiswahilibao
Portuguêspainel de controle
Françaiscompteur
DeutschPult
Italianoquadro
Ελληνικάπίνακας pínakas
Русскийкоммута́тор kommutátor, стенд stɛnd, пане́ль panɛ́lʹ, табло́ tabló
עבריתלוּחַ lúaẖ

noun surface for a board game

Françaisplateau
Русскийдоска́ doská

noun short for blackboard, whiteboard, etc.

Españolpizarra, pizarrón
한국어칠판 chilpan
日本語黒板 kokuban, ホワイトボード howaitobōdo
中文黑板 hēibǎn, 白板 whiteboard
हिन्दीबोर्ड borḍ
Kiswahilibao
Portuguêsquadro, lousa
Françaistableau, plateau, planche
DeutschTafel
Italianolavagna
Ελληνικάπίνακας pínakas
Русскийдоска́ doská
Tiếng Việtbảng
العربيةلَوْحَة lawḥa, لَوْح lawḥ
עבריתלוּחַ lúakh

noun managing committee

Españolconsejo, junta, consejo de administración
한국어위원회 wiwonhoe, 보드 bodeu
日本語委員会 iinkai, ボード bōdo
中文委員會 /委员会 wěiyuánhuì
हिन्दीबोर्ड borḍ, मंडल maṇḍal, परिषद pariṣad
Kiswahilibodi
Portuguêsconselho, comitê, junta
Françaisconseil d'administration
DeutschGremium, Vorstand, Rat, Ausschuss
Italianoconsiglio di amministrazione, comitato
Ελληνικάσυμβούλιο symvoúlio, επιτροπή epitropí
Русскийправле́ние pravlénije, пала́та paláta, сове́т sovét, руково́дство rukovódstvo, колле́гия kollégija, комите́т komitét
العربيةمَجْلِس majlis, لَجْنَة lajna, هَيْأَت hayʔat

noun regular meals or amount paid for them in a place of lodging

日本語宿泊料金 shukuhaku ryōkin
Portuguêsdiária, despesa
Françaispension, couvert
Italianovitto
Ελληνικάδιατροφή diatrofí, σίτιση sítisi
Русскийстол stol

noun side of a ship

Españolbordo
Kiswahilibao
Portuguêsbordo
Françaisbord
Italianobordo, fiancata
Русскийборт bort
עבריתדֹּפֶן dofen

noun nautical: distance between tacks

DeutschSchlag
Русскийгалс gals
עבריתגַּלְס gals, לֶג leg

noun wall surrounding ice hockey rink

Kiswahilibao
Русскийбо́ртик bórtik

verb to step or climb onto

Españolabordar, embarcar, subir
한국어타다 tada, 탑승하다 tapseunghada
日本語乗り込む norikomu, 乗る noru
中文上船 shàngchuán, 登機 /登机 dēngjī
Kiswahilipanda
Portuguêsembarcar
Françaismonter (à bord de), embarquer
Deutschan Bord gehen, einsteigen
Italianoimbarcarsi, salire a bordo
Русскийсади́ться sadítʹsja, сесть sestʹ, подня́ться/поднима́ться на бо́рт podnjátʹsja/podnimátʹsja na bórt
Tiếng Việtlên
العربيةاِسْتَقَلَّ istaqalla, صَعِدَ ṣaʕida

verb to provide someone with meals and lodging

Portuguêshospedar
Deutschbeherbergen
Русскийпредоставля́ть пансио́н predostavljátʹ pansión

verb to receive meals and lodging in exchange for money

Portuguêshospedar-se
Русскийстолова́ться stolovátʹsja

verb nautical: to go aboard an enemy ship at sea in an attempt to capture it

Españolabordar
Portuguêsembarcar
Françaisaborder
Deutschentern
Italianoabbordare
Русскийидти́ на аборда́ж idtí na abordáž

noun basketball: a rebound

Kiswahilibao
Portuguêsrebatida, taco

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"board." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/board. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

APA

board. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/board

Chicago

"board." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/board.

BibTeX
@misc{board_2026,
  title = {board},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/board},
  urldate = {2026-11-05}
}