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

The company is launching AlphaSpace, a fully customizable research dashboard that brings together data, charting, news, analysis and an AI assistant into a single interface. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 May 2026

Over 30 workers have died, and more than 50 have had lung transplants, according to a public dashboard where the numbers keep going up. —Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 18 May 2026

For years, the focus was on visibility—better dashboards, better reporting, better insight. —Sanjay Brahmawar, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026

Of all the education data the state tracks, Barrera believes the college and career indicator is the most important indicator on its education dashboard. —Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 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