Meaning & use
tote board
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablesport
A large display at a racetrack that shows the odds, the amounts bet and race results.
Grammar: Often with the: look at the tote board.
Patterns
- the tote board shows something
- check the tote board
The odds on the tote board changed just before the horses reached the gate.
He kept one eye on the tote board and the other on the paddock.
When the winner's payout flashed on the tote board, the crowd groaned.
nouncountablefigurative
A public display that tracks a running total, such as money raised by a charity drive.
Grammar: Used figuratively with the same board-like image.
Patterns
- the tote board shows something
The tote board outside the school showed we had raised eight thousand dollars.
Volunteers filled in the tote board every hour during the telethon.
A giant tote board in the lobby kept the food drive total up to date.
Word forms
| plural | tote boards |
|---|
Common combinations
- flash on the tote board
- The final results flashed on the tote board within seconds.
- check the tote board
- Check the tote board for the latest odds.
- the tote board shows
- The tote board shows the total raised so far.
- update the tote board
- Volunteers update the tote board as pledges come in.
- electronic tote board
- The track installed a new electronic tote board last season.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scoreboard
- A scoreboard shows points in a game, while a tote board shows betting figures or fundraising totals.
- odds board
- An odds board shows only the odds, whereas a tote board also lists totals and payouts.
- thermometer chart
- This is a fundraising display shaped like a thermometer and is narrower than a tote board.
Word family
- tote noun
- short for totalisator, a system for pooling bets
- totalisator noun
- a machine that totals and divides betting stakes
- pari-mutuel noun
- a betting system in which winners share the pool
- board noun
- a flat panel used to display information
Commonly confused: tote board or tote bag?
tote board vs tote bag
A tote bag is a large open bag for carrying things. It is unrelated to a tote board.
Practice
The horse's odds dropped sharply, and everyone looked up at the ____ to see the new numbers.
Choose one answer.
A tote board is the display at a racetrack for odds and betting totals. A tote bag is something you carry, and the other options are not the standard term.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tote board”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.