sounding board
noun
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The Literal Origins of Sounding Board
Beginning during the Renaissance, a flat wooden canopy called a sounding board was placed over church pulpits, amplifying the sound of the preacher's voice, carrying it to the farthest reaches of the church. Similarly, ideas can be spread by a figurative sounding board. A publication, for example, can be a sounding board for propaganda. That's one modern sense of the word. But when sound bounces off a literal sounding board, not only does it reach more people, it also comes across more clearly. Likewise, bouncing ideas off another person can lend clarity to one's thought processes. If someone comes to you and says "How does this sound?" and leaves with his or her mind made up (whether or not you've ventured a word), you have served as a very effective sounding board.
Examples of sounding board in a Sentence
Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
In fact, we were not involved in this one, even though Cannes was naturally chosen as a sounding board, because this is where the debate would receive strong attention — Cannes always offers an exceptional platform to those wishing to bring an issue into the public sphere.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 June 2026
Schmidt said that the two have bonded plenty since their respective surgeries, using one another as a sounding board and a source of moral support throughout the darker days of their grueling rehabs.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
Much like Inouye-Perez, Fernandez’s best attribute is her ability to be a sounding board for Grant.
—Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sounding board
Cite this Entry
“Sounding board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sounding%20board. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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