chalkboard

American

[chawk-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈtʃɔkˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

a blackboard, especially a green or other light-colored one.

chalkboard British

/ ˈtʃɔːkˌbɔːd /

noun

Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): blackboard. a hard or rigid surface made of a smooth usually dark substance, used for writing or drawing on with chalk, esp in teaching

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chalkboard

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; chalk + board

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the bathroom, a chalkboard panel against the door invites visitors to vote for their favorite room via a tally system.

From Los Angeles Times

I check out the chalkboards and realize that one has rules for debate.

From Literature

Desks pushed to the wall, a few chairs, and a chalkboard on wheels.

From Literature

I was reading a chalkboard menu, when someone spoke over my shoulder.

From The Wall Street Journal

She said it is “like nails on a chalkboard to hear people constantly referring to the Palisades as a war zone.”

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023