✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

chessboard

noun

chess·​board ˈches-ˌbȯrd How to pronounce chessboard (audio)
: a checkerboard used in the game of chess

Examples of chessboard 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.
The National Guard ⬆ For much of the past year, National Guard units have been pawns on a chessboard, taunted by protesters. Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025 The setup is excellent, and Johnson dresses up his world and his characters like his own personal chessboard. Adam Graham, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025 Soon, the guards gave the men a chessboard. Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 With a retro dress, red wig and chessboard at the ready, this was easily one of her most stylish costumes of 2021. Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chessboard

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chessboard was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chessboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chessboard. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on chessboard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!