sounding board

noun

1

a

: a structure behind or over a pulpit, rostrum, or platform to give distinctness and sonority to sound

b

: a device or agency that helps propagate opinions or utterances

c

: a person or group on whom one tries out an idea or opinion as a means of evaluating it

2

: soundboard sense 1

Did you know?

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

My friend is my sounding board for new ideas.

Recent Examples on the Web

As an upperclassman, Frederique has learned the value of being more vocal and serving as a sounding board his teammates can rely upon. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026

As kids get older, parents can be a sounding board and offer advice on how to navigate the tricky situations that inevitably come up instead of ghosting people. — Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

My friend Jen, an obsessive cake baker and my sounding board on this project, loves Saffitz. — Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Tortorella became a sounding board during the past eight years in Bickel’s coaching quest. — Joe Smith, New York Times, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for sounding board

• checkerboard
• clavichord
• fiberboard
• fibreboard
• fingerboard
• harpsichord
• motherboard
• notochord
• overboard
• overlord
• paperboard
• plasterboard

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Kids Definition

sounding board

noun

1

: a structure behind or over a speaker's platform to make sound uttered from it clear

2

: a means for helping to spread opinions

3

: a person or group on whom new ideas or opinions are tested