Meanings
- not comparableOn board; into or within a ship or boat; hence, into or within a railway car.First known use ca. 1350—1470
We all climbed aboard.
2 more examples
As the 1857 to Manchester Piccadilly rolls in, I scan the windows and realise there are plenty of spare seats, so I hop aboard. The train is a '221'+'220' combo to allow for social distancing - a luxury on an XC train as normally you're playing sardines, so I make the most of it.
2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68Trump said he signed the executive orders while aboard Air Force One on a return flight to Washington from Florida.
2025 January 27, Alayna Treene, Pamela Brown, Haley Britzky and Oren Liebermann, “Trump signs executive orders to reshape the military, including banning transgender troops”, in CNN - not comparableOn or onto a horse, a camel, etc.First known use late 19th c.
to sling a saddle aboard
- not comparableball gamesOn base.First known use mid-20th c.
He doubled with two men aboard, scoring them both.
- not comparableInto a team, group, or company.First known use mid-20th c.
The office manager welcomed him aboard.
- not comparablenauticalAlongside.First known use ca. 1350—1470
The ships came close aboard to pass messages.
1 more example
The captain laid his ship aboard the enemy's ship.
- On board of; onto or into a ship, boat, train, plane.First known use ca. 1350—1470
We all went aboard the ship.
1 more example
Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat.
2012 March 28, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87 - Onto a horse.First known use mid-20th c.
- obsoleteAcross; athwart; alongside.First known use early 16th–late 17th c.
Nor iron bands aboard The Pontic Sea by their huge navy cast.
1591, Edmund Spenser, Virgil's Gnat
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbon a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
adverbside by side
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishabord
- Englishaboard
From Middle English abord, from a- (“on”) + bord (“board, side of a ship”); equivalent to a- + board.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عَلَى ظَهْر, عَلَى مَتْن
- عَلَى ظَهْر (ʕalā ẓahr)on board
- عَلَى مَتْن (ʕalā matn)on board
Bulgarian на борда
- на борда (na borda)on board of
Catalan a bord
- a bordon board
Chinese Mandarin 上車 /上车, 上船
- 上車 /上车 (shàngchē)on board
- 上船 (shàngchuán)on board
- 上飛機 /上飞机 (shàng fēijī)on board
- 上車 /上车 (shàngchē)on board of
- 上船 (shàngchuán)on board of
- 上飛機 /上飞机 (shàng fēijī)on board of
Czech na palubě
- na paluběon board
Danish ombord, om bord (på)
- ombordon board
- om bord (på)on board of
Dutch aan boord, langszij
- aan boordon board
- langszijnautical
- aan boordon board of
Esperanto surŝipe
- surŝipeon board
Finnish kyytiin, kyydissä
- kyytiinon board
- kyydissäon board
- laivaanon board
- laivassaon board
- koneeseenon board
- koneessaon board
- vaunuunon board
- vaunussaon board
French à bord, à bord de
- à bordon board
- à bord deon board of
German an Bord, an Bord
- an Bordon board
- an Bordon board of
Greek στο πλοίο, εν πλω
- στο πλοίο (sto ploío)on board
- εν πλω (en plo)on board of
Hindi अबौड
- अबौड (abauḍ)on board
Hungarian a fedélzeten, rajta
- a fedélzetenon board
- rajtaon board
Irish ar bord
- ar bordon board
Italian a bordo, a bordo di
- a bordoon board
- a bordo dion board of
Japanese 乗って
- 乗って (notte)on board
Persian روی یا داخل
- روی یا داخلon board
Portuguese a bordo, a bordo de
- a bordoon board
- a bordo deon board of
Russian на борту́, на́ борт
- на борту́ (na bortú)on board
- на́ борт (ná bort)on board
- на борту́ (na bortú)on board of
Scottish Gaelic air bòrd
- air bòrdon board
Spanish a bordo, a bordo de
- a bordoon board
- a bordo deon board of
Swedish ombord, ombord (på)
- ombordon board
- ombord (på)on board of
Welsh ar long
- ar longon board
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with aboard
Anagrams
Cite this entry
aboard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aboard
“aboard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aboard. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aboard,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aboard.
Source: aboard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.