board
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Regular meals in a place of lodging.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bawrdIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbɔɹd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A flat portable surface (usually rectangular) designed for board games
“He got out the board and set up the pieces.”
uncountable
Regular meals in a place of lodging; the price paid for them.
A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any material, usually wood or similar, often for use in construction or furniture-making.
Electrical device consisting of a flat insulated surface that contains switches and dials and meters for controlling other electrical devices
A device (e.g., switchboard) containing electrical switches and other controls and designed to control lights, sound, telephone connections, etc.
Paper made thick and stiff like a board, for book covers, etc.; pasteboard.
verb
transitive
To step or climb onto or otherwise enter a ship, aircraft, train or other conveyance.
Provide food and lodging (for)
“The old lady is boarding three men.”
transitive
To provide someone with meals and lodging, usually in exchange for money.
Lodge and take meals (at)
intransitive
To obtain meals, or meals and lodgings, statedly for compensation
To cover with boards or boarding.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A flat portable surface (usually rectangular) designed for board games
Used this way, board is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He got out the board and set up the pieces.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- display panel , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Flat / electricalnoun
“He got out the board and set up the pieces.”
Provide / obtainverb
“The old lady is boarding three men.”
More ways to use board
- “He got out the board and set up the pieces.”noun
- “He nailed boards across the windows.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The stage of a theater.
The act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft.
A tenant in someone's house.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A group of persons chosen to govern the affairs of a corporation or other large institution.
A board in charge of local public schools.
A committee of university officers who have general supervision over the welfare and conduct of students.
A board of officials elected to administer the public business of a New England town.
A unit of energy equal to the work done by a power of 1000 watts operating for one hour.
A governing board elected or appointed to direct the policies of an educational institution.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.