hoverboard

H4O1V4E1R1B3O1A1R1D2
UK/ˈhɒvəbɔɹd/US/ˈhʌvɚbɔɹd/

noun

A levitating board that can be ridden in the manner of a surfboard or skateboard.

OriginEnglish board ← Middle English bord ← Old English bord →
RareScrabble 19
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Meanings

nounhoverboard (plural hoverboards)

plural hoverboards · alternative hover board

  1. literatureA levitating board that can be ridden in the manner of a surfboard or skateboard.

    He chattered on about girls and riverside dancehalls and hoverboard skating, and seemed to look with pleasure on Paradine, who was smugly daydreaming about the report which would be lying on Number One’s desk after lunch.

    1967, M. K. Joseph, The Hole in the Zero, page 56
  2. A small self-balancing two-wheeled motorised vehicle, related to a scooter.

    Northern introduced a ban on e-scooters, hoverboards and e-skateboards on all its stations and trains from December 1, because of a fire risk. Electric wheelchairs and bikes are exempt.

    2022 December 14, “Network News: News in Brief: Northern e-scooter ban”, in RAIL, number 972, page 25
verbhoverboard (third-person singular simple present hoverboards, present participle hoverboarding, simple past and past participle hoverboarded)

present singular third person hoverboards · participle present hoverboarding · participle past hoverboarded · past hoverboarded · alternative hover board

  1. literatureTo travel by hoverboard.

Origin

  1. Englishhover
  2. Proto-Germanic*burdą
  3. Proto-West Germanic*bord
  4. Old Englishbord
  5. Middle Englishbord
  6. Englishboard
  7. Englishhoverboard

From hover + board. First attested in 1967 in the science fiction novel The Hole in the Zero by M. K. Joseph, and popularised by the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian ховърборд
  • ховърборд (hovărbord)levitating board
Esperanto ŝvebilo
  • ŝvebilolevitating board
Finnish leijulauta
  • leijulautalevitating board
Greek χόβερμπορντ
  • χόβερμπορντ (chóvermpornt)levitating board
Hungarian légdeszka, légdeszkázik
  • légdeszkalevitating board
  • légdeszkázikto travel by hoverboard
Icelandic svifbretti
  • svifbrettilevitating board
Italian hoverboard, volopattino
  • hoverboardlevitating board
  • volopattinolevitating board
Japanese ホバーボード
  • ホバーボード (hobābōdo)levitating board
Korean 호버보드, 호버 보드
  • 호버보드 (hobeobodeu)levitating board
  • 호버 보드 (hobeo bodeu)levitating board
Swedish hoverboard, svävarbräda
  • hoverboardlevitating board
  • svävarbrädalevitating board
  • balansskoterlevitating board
Cite this entry
APA

hoverboard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hoverboard

MLA

“hoverboard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hoverboard. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hoverboard,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hoverboard.

Source: hoverboard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.