onboarding

noun

on·​board·​ing ˈȯn-ˌbȯr-diŋ 

ˈän-

1

: the act or process of orienting and training a new employee

… good onboarding leads to higher employee engagement and greater retention rates.

—Joyce E. A. Russell

2

: the act or process of familiarizing a new customer with one's products or services

Customer onboarding primarily involves answering customers' questions and addressing their concerns so they have a smooth, positive experience with your product or service.

—Aaron Agius

3

: the act or process of converting data to digital form

While many retailers are coming to terms with the need for data onboarding and management, there is still a massive chasm between collecting data and using it to the fullest advantage.

—Larisa Bedgood

onboard

ˈȯn-ˌbȯrd 

ˈän-

transitive verb

onboarded; onboarding

The workflow chart that was pinned to the wall was an excellent orientation for me, as a new employee, and anyone else being onboarded.

—Jill Duffy

It's easy to forget how difficult hiring people is and getting them onboarded and effective in their job.

—Sue Gilbert

Once a customer is onboarded, they can immediately start using the account for remittance payments …

—Richard Gluyas

Examples of onboarding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are thousands of cryptocurrencies, countless blockchains, arcane fees to pay for swapping tokens, and complicated onboarding processes. — Ben Weiss, Fortune, 22 June 2026

Faster onboarding means faster earnings for workers, faster fill rates for employers, and faster revenue realization for platforms. — Raj Ananthanpillai, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

Seller onboarding is starting immediately, giving retailers a head start to secure visibility before the platform officially goes live for consumers in the fourth quarter of 2026. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 11 June 2026

But some of the most meaningful long-term gains may emerge more quietly through better dispatch systems, faster hiring pipelines, smoother onboarding, safer communications, clearer family updates, and more reliable daily transportation service. — Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 2 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for onboarding

• according
• affording
• awarding
• keyboarding
• recording
• rewarding
• skateboarding
• snowboarding
• boarding
• cording
• fording
• hoarding