sounding board
noun
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The Literal Origins of Sounding Board
Beginning during the Renaissance, a flat wooden canopy called a sounding board was placed over church pulpits, amplifying the sound of the preacher's voice, carrying it to the farthest reaches of the church. Similarly, ideas can be spread by a figurative sounding board. A publication, for example, can be a sounding board for propaganda. That's one modern sense of the word. But when sound bounces off a literal sounding board, not only does it reach more people, it also comes across more clearly. Likewise, bouncing ideas off another person can lend clarity to one's thought processes. If someone comes to you and says "How does this sound?" and leaves with his or her mind made up (whether or not you've ventured a word), you have served as a very effective sounding board.
Examples of sounding board in a Sentence
Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
Brian Burns was new to the team and seems more like a steady sounding board.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
The Rays are an option, allowing Martinez to play close to his home in Ft. Lauderdale and be a sounding board for their (always) young lineup.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
And Snow provides a sounding board for first-year DC John Butler, elevated from secondary coach.
—Mitch Sherman, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sounding board
Cite this Entry
“Sounding board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sounding%20board. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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