checkerboard

noun

check·​er·​board ˈche-kər-ˌbȯrd 

1

: a board used in various games (such as checkers) with usually 64 squares in 2 alternating colors

2

: something that has a pattern or arrangement like a checkerboard

Examples of checkerboard in a Sentence

The fields formed a checkerboard of light and dark squares.

Recent Examples on the Web

The checkerboard flooring is done in marble, a material reprised also in the tabletops and bar counter. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 7 July 2025

On the back, that same spiral reemerges, now blackened and surrounded by a checkerboard pattern, suggesting an exit from the void. —Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 1 July 2025

Grain True butcher blocks are made of end grain wood, so the fibers are exposed to provide a checkerboard design. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 19 June 2025

The caseback of the watch also reveals the same black hole, filled in with black ink and surrounded by a spiraling checkerboard motif. —Roberta Naas, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for checkerboard

• clavichord
• fiberboard
• fibreboard
• fingerboard
• harpsichord
• motherboard
• notochord
• overboard
• overlord
• paperboard
• plasterboard
• shuffleboard

Kids Definition

checkerboard

noun

check·​er·​board -ˌbō(ə)rd 

-ˌbȯ(ə)rd

: a board used in games and marked with 64 squares in two colors