washboard

noun wash·board \ ˈwȯsh-ˌbȯrd , ˈwäsh- \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of washboard

1 : a broad thin plank along a gunwale or on the sill of a lower deck port to keep out the sea

2 : baseboard

3 a : a corrugated rectangular surface that is used for scrubbing clothes or as a percussion instrument

b : a road or pavement so worn by traffic as to be corrugated transversely

c : an abdominal area characterized by prominent and well-defined musculature —usually used attributively

a bodybuilder with washboard abs

a washboard stomach

See washboard defined for English-language learners

See washboard defined for kids

Recent Examples of washboard from the Web

There will also be tours of the Columbus Washboard Company, the last remaining washboard company in the United States.

— susan glaser, cleveland.com, "Urban Air festival brings a mile-long stretch of Airstreams to the streets of Logan, Ohio (photos): Living On," 31 Mar. 2018
Tackle small jumps and undulating washboard-like terrain with too much aggression and the Ram’s suspension will quickly kiss its bump stops.

— mike sutton, Car and Driver, "2019 Ram 1500 Rebel," 22 Mar. 2018
Theroux, meanwhile, has reportedly rededicated himself to physical fitness, presumably in an attempt to transform his ho-hum six-pack into a shredded eight-pack that could, in a pinch, serve as a washboard or a cheese grater.

— madeleine aggeler, The Cut, "How Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux Are Coping With Their Split," 22 Mar. 2018
But a winter of driving washboard roads led to service items above our handyman pay grade: rattling rocker panel, broken door lock, frozen toilet flap.

— aaron gulley, Outside Online, "Airstream in for Service? Go Backpacking," 21 Mar. 2018
Gay sat in my rental car and led me the rest of the way, over washboard roads that turned into something like a dry riverbed, clotted with boulders and jagged rock.

— jennifer percy, New York Times, "Fear of the Federal Government in the Ranchlands of Oregon," 18 Jan. 2018
The Fox shocks performed admirably in a variety of conditions—from hauling heavy weight over short distances, to soaking up the washboard roads at higher speeds.

— timothy dahl, Popular Mechanics, "Working the Ranch With Honda's New Pioneer UTV," 9 Jan. 2018
Yadiel Rivera sells washboards made out of PVC near a strip mall in Carolina, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 14.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "In powerless Puerto Rico, washboards and candles are essential | Miami Herald," 14 Oct. 2017
The two-lane road leading from the off-ramp to the visitor center wasn’t paved until the 1980s, turning a tooth-rattling jaunt over a washboard trail into a pleasant drive through the dusty landscape.

— scott craven, USA TODAY, "Meteor Crater: Arizona's other huge hole in the ground," 29 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'washboard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of washboard

1742

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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WASHBOARD Defined for English Language Learners

washboard

noun

Definition of washboard for English Language Learners

: a board with ridges on its surface that was used in the past for washing clothes by rubbing wet clothes against it
: a group of strong and well-shaped muscles that can be seen on a person's stomach