sounding board

noun

Definition of sounding boardnext
as in expert
a person or group with whom you discuss ideas to see if the ideas are good My friend is my sounding board for new ideas.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sounding board Huff will play Peter Allen, Jason’s (Strong) pragmatic colleague at the law firm who is a sounding board and early on questions the viability of the case. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026 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 Tortorella became a sounding board during the past eight years in Bickel’s coaching quest. — Joe Smith, New York Times, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sounding board
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sounding board
  1. expert
  2. adviser
  3. counselor
  4. specialist
Noun
  • In 2008, in Texas, geologist and Petrohawk Energy cofounder Dick Stoneburner—a great name for a shale rock expert—helped pioneer drilling and fracking and led the discovery of the Eagle Ford Shale oil boom in South Texas.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The Challenges Creating a compelling reason to visit a convenience store is a big challenge for small-format outlets in India, experts said.
    — Priyanka Salve,Jenny Lee, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of expert
Noun
  • The trend that advisors and insiders seem to be talking about these days is how shoulder season is the new peak season.
    — Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Western Commissioner Rick Lett said the event permit application has been handled with guidance from the county's legal adviser, and that if the H Highway bridge had been out, the county likely would have denied the application.
    — Glory Reitz, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of adviser
Noun
  • Purdue has a longstanding connection to Earhart, who served as a career counselor and adviser to women students at the university in the 1930s.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Kotch and Parnevik, as the negligently canoodling counselors, inspire the opposite reaction as two characters whose destiny is inevitable and earned.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of counselor
Noun
  • The case mortality rate is the best index for quantifying care, said the IDF medical specialist.
    — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Related Articles Developed in partnership with Grupo Bosque Real, a specialist in high-end developments, the project was unveiled Thursday at an introductory event in Mexico City.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of specialist

Browse Nearby Words

sounding
sounding board
sounding boards
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Sounding board.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sounding%20board. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All