board

The word “board” means to get onto a ship, plane, train, or other vehicle to travel. In plain terms, depending on context: a plank of wood, a company's governing committee, or getting onto a vehicle.

“Board” is pronounced bawd (/bɔɹd/ in IPA).

Here is “board” used in a sentence: “Passengers were asked to board the plane by row number.”

Depending on how it is used, “board” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “board” comes from Old English. From Old English bord, meaning both "plank" and "table." Senses like "meals" and "committee" developed by association with sitting around a table.

“Board” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Board” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to get onto a ship, plane, train, or other vehicle to travel.

Boarding is the everyday word for getting onto any vehicle — a plane, train, bus, or ship. Embarking is more formal and traditionally means going aboard a ship, though it also means setting out on a journey or, figuratively, starting any new venture. You board a train, but you embark on an adventure.

The opposite is to disembark — to get off a ship, plane, or train once the journey ends. Everyday alternatives include 'get off' and, for buses and trains, 'alight'. Where boarding means stepping onto a vehicle to travel, disembarking means leaving it at the other end.

'Now boarding' is the announcement that passengers may begin getting onto the plane. Ground staff usually call groups forward in an order — by seat row, class, or boarding zone — so the aircraft fills smoothly. When your flight is 'now boarding', it is time to have your pass ready and go to the gate.