washboard

noun

wash·​board ˈwȯsh-ˌbȯrd 

ˈwäsh-

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 before another noun

a bodybuilder with washboard abs

a washboard stomach

Examples of washboard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Last Bison surrounded him with a thicket of acoustic instrumentation, including guitar, banjo, bass, and mandolin, while Fallon, cowboy hat planted firmly on his head, joined the fray with a washboard. — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2026

The three-dimensional assemblage, made from a clock, washboard, and figure, was replaced with a digital photograph. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026

The 1990s saw the introduction into her assemblages of new, meaningful objects, chief among them the washboard, signifier of domestic labor. — News Desk, Artforum, 28 July 2026

Hunter constructed a wooden back porch (with soundscape, empty milk bottles, washboard and broom) and a moveable front stoop in the BMRC Gallery — integral places in Chicago and the South Side where the Black community convenes. — Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for washboard

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword

Kids Definition

washboard

noun

wash·​board ˈwȯsh-ˌbō(ə)rd 

ˈwäsh-, 

-ˌbȯ(ə)rd

: a grooved board to scrub clothes on