dashboard

noun

dash·​board ˈdash-ˌbȯrd 

plural dashboards

1

: a panel extending across the interior of a vehicle (such as an automobile) below the windshield and usually containing instruments and controls

If something internal is wrong with your car, the dashboard will display an icon identifying the problem.

—Aaron Widmar

Abdullah sang along to the songs; I kept the rhythm by clapping my hands and drumming on the dashboard.

—Emma Sky

2

: a graphical report (as on a website) of various data relevant to a particular business, group, etc.

… other dashboards that are available for first-year applicants include information on admission by source school …

—Daily Californian

The dashboard provides data on regional, local and campus trends regarding COVID-19 testing, results and cases. The dashboard is updated each weekday with data from several different sources, including the campus testing program and self-reports by students and faculty.

—Alex Perry

Emory Police Department (EPD) will implement a dashboard of the department's data, including the status and findings of investigations and the demographics of those involved …

—Ninad Kulkarni

The RTA [Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois] uses maps and dashboards to visualize revenue, ridership, and service availability at a regional scale.

—Terry Bills

3

: a screen on the front of a usually horse-drawn vehicle to intercept water, mud, or snow

Examples of dashboard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wall Street Journal Amazon has given its managers a dashboard that tracks how many hours their employees spend physically in the office. —Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026

When the temperature drops below 32 degrees and a glowing snowflake on the dashboard warns of icy roads, my car practically drives itself to Lighthouse Tofu in Annandale. —Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2026

Kayla Zelle, a staff physical therapist at RIM working with Warsaw and her daughters, said that most injuries her facility sees when people are not restrained in a crash include head, spinal cord and neck pain from the force of striking dashboards or the roof of the vehicle. —Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026

Have feedback about this dashboard or a news tip or question about public safety? —Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing dashboard

• dashboard camera

Rhymes for dashboard

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword

Kids Definition

dashboard

noun

dash·​board ˈdash-ˌbō(ə)rd 

-ˌbȯ(ə)rd

1

: a screen on the front of a usually horse-pulled vehicle to keep out water, mud, or snow

2

: a panel across an automobile or airplane below the windshield usually containing dials and controls