Meaning & use
board
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Meanings
nouncountable
A long, flat, thin piece of wood or similar stiff material, used for building or covering a surface.
Grammar: Countable: a board, three boards; also in compounds like floorboard and skirting board.
Patterns
- a board of something
- nail a board to something
He nailed a board across the broken window to keep the rain out.
The old floor boards creaked under our feet.
Carlos cut a board to the right length for the shelf.
nouncountable
A flat panel or surface made for a particular purpose, such as displaying notices, playing a game or writing on.
Grammar: Countable; the purpose is usually shown by a word before it: notice board, chess board, whiteboard.
Patterns
- write something on the board
- a board for something
The teacher wrote the homework on the board before the bell rang.
Pieces were still scattered across the chess board when they left.
Someone pinned a flyer for the concert to the notice board.
nouncountable
A group of people chosen to direct or supervise a company, school or other organization.
Grammar: Countable and can take a singular or plural verb in British English: the board is meeting / the board are meeting.
Patterns
- on the board
- the board of something
- a board member
The board voted to close the factory at the end of the year.
She was elected to the school board last spring.
The company's board of directors meets every quarter.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To get on a ship, aircraft, train, bus or other vehicle in order to travel.
Grammar: Takes an object when you name the vehicle: board the plane; with no object: passengers may now board.
Patterns
- board something
- board for somewhere
Passengers are asked to board the train through the rear doors.
The family boarded the ferry just before it left the dock.
Flight 214 is now boarding at gate 12.
noununcountable
Meals provided regularly for a fee, especially together with a place to stay.
Grammar: Uncountable and usually in the fixed phrase room and board or full board.
Patterns
- room and board
- full board
The student worked at the cafe to pay for her room and board.
The hotel's price includes full board, so all meals are free.
Word forms
| plural | boards |
|---|---|
| third person singular | boards |
| past tense | boarded |
| past participle | boarded |
| -ing form | boarding |
Common combinations
- board a plane
- We boarded the plane an hour before sunrise.
- board of directors
- The board of directors approved the budget.
- on board
- All the passengers are now on board.
- room and board
- Her scholarship covers tuition and room and board.
- bulletin board
- The job ad was pinned to the bulletin board.
- board a train
- Please let people leave before you board the train.
Synonyms and how they differ
- plank
- A plank is a long, thick piece of timber, while a board can be thinner and made of many materials.
- committee
- A committee is a group that handles one task or issue, whereas a board usually has overall authority over an organization.
- embark
- Embark is more formal than board and also means to begin a journey or project, so it can be used figuratively.
- panel
- A panel is a flat section of a larger structure or a group of experts, so it is less general than board.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: board or bored?
board vs bored
Bored means uninterested or tired of something and sounds the same as board, but it is a different word.
Practice
Passengers holding tickets for Flight 88 may now ______ at Gate 6.
Choose one answer.
Board is the usual verb for getting onto a plane. Depart means to leave, dock is for ships tying up at a port, and enroll means to sign up for a course.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “board”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.