1
: placed to win if a competitor wins, places, or shows
an across-the-board racing bet
2
: embracing or affecting all classes or categories : blanket
an across-the-board price increase

Examples of across-the-board in a Sentence

an across-the-board reduction in the state's budget because of declining revenues
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
It’s aimed at weakening our collective, across-the-board sense of boundaries, the mutual adherence to limits that sports are supposed to teach. Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025 The brand has controlled price hikes for now but expects to raise them at some point, albeit in specific spots rather than across-the-board, John said. Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025 For Social Security, this translates into a 24% across-the-board cut in benefits—equal to an $18,400 reduction per year for the typical couple entering retirement in 2033. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025 Neither Dubois nor Wilson had previously had an individual season quite so across-the-board good during their respective careers. The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for across-the-board

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of across-the-board was in 1945

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Across-the-board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/across-the-board. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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