the boards
plural noun
US
: the low wooden wall that surrounds the playing surface in ice hockey
He crashed into the boards.
Examples of the boards in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Wisconsin won the battle of the boards 37-36, and Underwood said allowing the Badgers 11 offensive rebounds was a killer.
—
Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Cronin spent most of the season demanding more of Dent on defense and on the boards.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
To use basketball and hockey vernacular, Babcock and co-counsel Chris Bankler and Stars lead counsel Joshua Sandler and co-counsel Carroll alternated verbal hard fouls, trash talk and checking into the boards.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both media giants, the companies said in a joint news release, with a vote expected in the early spring.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
From behind the net, Allen sent the puck around the boards right to Marc Gatcomb while the Devils were in a line change.
—CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
But even those weren’t as shocking as what happened with 53 seconds left in regulation, when a DeBrincat dump-in along the boards took a strange bounce, apparently at the spot where the board’s photo hole was, and then went off Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren and in to tie the score at 3-3.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The 2022 Beijing Olympics silver medalist lost her balance on the second bend of the 1000-meter trial, falling to the ice and crashing into the boards.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Sanders also penned an open letter to the boards of trustees at the two schools, urging them to hold an annual football game at War Memorial Stadium, but so far no action has been taken.
—Erick Taylor, Arkansas Online, 31 Dec. 2025
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Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Cronin spent most of the season demanding more of Dent on defense and on the boards.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
To use basketball and hockey vernacular, Babcock and co-counsel Chris Bankler and Stars lead counsel Joshua Sandler and co-counsel Carroll alternated verbal hard fouls, trash talk and checking into the boards.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both media giants, the companies said in a joint news release, with a vote expected in the early spring.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
From behind the net, Allen sent the puck around the boards right to Marc Gatcomb while the Devils were in a line change.
—CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
But even those weren’t as shocking as what happened with 53 seconds left in regulation, when a DeBrincat dump-in along the boards took a strange bounce, apparently at the spot where the board’s photo hole was, and then went off Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren and in to tie the score at 3-3.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The 2022 Beijing Olympics silver medalist lost her balance on the second bend of the 1000-meter trial, falling to the ice and crashing into the boards.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Sanders also penned an open letter to the boards of trustees at the two schools, urging them to hold an annual football game at War Memorial Stadium, but so far no action has been taken.
—Erick Taylor, Arkansas Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“The boards.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20boards. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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