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 church theater was transformed into a retro scene, complete with checkerboard dance floor, vinyl records lining the walls, and a balloon arch in pastel pink and turquoise. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026

Standouts include the textured Fritz wool rug with a subtle checkerboard design and the Maren shag rug, which is a plush bestseller. —Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 May 2026

Look up at the massive white Murano glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and down at a graphic stone-checkerboard floor. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026

The explosive fact of the two artists’ racial difference found a visual correlate in the checkerboard gallery floor and white-on-black palette of the show’s tallest totem. —Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 2 May 2026

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