aboard

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈbȯrd 

1

: alongside

2

a

: on, onto, or within a vehicle (such as a car or ship)

b

: in or into a group, association, or organization

her second promotion since coming aboard

3

baseball : on base

aboard

2 of 2

preposition

: on, onto, within

go aboard ship

aboard a plane

Examples of aboard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb or adjective

That includes family members acknowledging their relatives’ disappearances, a local police report claiming the boat Cuba said the men were aboard as being stolen and an online trail of increasingly militant posts from the men Cuba named. —Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2026

Once officially aboard, Baryshnikov threw herself into prep, taking sewing classes in Los Angeles’ Garment District and helping Popov get the film in motion. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026

Preposition

Two buses with 65 people on board fell into the same river in 2024 and were lost, with most aboard either killed or still missing. —ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026

White barnacles, like stars, climb aboard her shell and fall asleep. —Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

Middle English abord, probably in part borrowed from Middle French a bord, a bort "on board," in part from Middle English a- a- entry 1 + bord "board, side of a ship" — more at board entry 1

Preposition

Middle English abord, derivative of abord aboard entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aboard

• abhorred
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword
• buckboard

Kids Definition

aboard

1 of 2 adverb

ə-ˈbōrd 

-ˈbȯrd

: on, onto, or within a vehicle (as a car, ship, or airplane)

aboard

2 of 2 preposition

: on or into especially as a passenger

go aboard ship