across the board

1 of 2

phrase

Synonyms of across the boardnext
: so as to include or affect all classes or categories
cut spending across the board
also : in all areas or respects
considered an average player across the board

across-the-board

2 of 2

adjective

1
: placed to win if a competitor wins, places, or shows
an across-the-board racing bet
2
: embracing or affecting all classes or categories : blanket
an across-the-board price increase

Examples of across the board in a Sentence

Adjective an across-the-board reduction in the state's budget because of declining revenues
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.
Adjective
Investors appeared soothed by the software firm’s across-the-board beat, amid fears about the company’s hefty debt load funding its AI buildout. Nur Hikmah Md Ali, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026 Trump responded by pulling another tariff lever, imposing a 10 percent across-the-board duty on imports under Section 122 that will be in effect for 150 days. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 10 Mar. 2026 Trump has tried to continue his tariffs via other means, although his latest across-the-board 15% tariff is limited to 150 days unless Congress votes to extend it. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026 Its across-the-board native cloud infrastructure and NVMe storage give it an edge over many conventional hosting providers, although HostArmada imposes stricter limits on storage, database sizes, and monthly data transfers as a trade-off. Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 8 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for across the board

Word History

First Known Use

Phrase

1946, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of across the board was in 1945

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Across the board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/across%20the%20board. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.

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