aboard

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

1
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb or adjective
SpaceX will be operating Starship autonomously and there will be no astronauts aboard during the flight. Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2025 On the first night aboard, Lo meets a mysterious woman who is staying in cabin 10. Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
Preposition
The strike was conducted in International Waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 Last week, the couple was potted sharing some PDA while aboard Perry's yacht, the Caravelle, off the coast of Santa Barbara last week. Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for aboard

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of aboard was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aboard. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

aboard

1 of 2 adverb
ə-ˈbōrd How to pronounce aboard (audio)
-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

More from Merriam-Webster on aboard

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