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

Stack 4 of the slices on top of each other, cut sides down, alternating to form a checkerboard pattern and brushing with egg white between layers. —Anna Theoktisto, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025

Showstopping Patterns Shaw says cookies with interesting colors and patterns, like pinwheel cookies and checkerboard cookies, are trending this holiday season. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2025

The nostalgist in me would have happily kept the brown-orange checkerboard floor tiles, one of those delightfully quirky details that made the old rooms feel so unmistakably of their time. —Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025

More walnut and bronze fixtures in the bathroom, which has a tub, rain showerhead, and a sort of subtle checkerboard floor. —Katie McDonough, Curbed, 15 Dec. 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