aboard

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

1
2
a
: on, onto, or within a vehicle (such as a car or ship)
b
: in or into a group, association, or organization
her second promotion since coming aboard
3
baseball : on base

aboard

2 of 2

preposition

: on, onto, within
go aboard ship
aboard a plane

Examples of aboard in a Sentence

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.
Adverb or adjective
The Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas is registered in the Bahamas, giving jurisdiction to the Nassau police who came aboard to review the case and subsequently cleared the woman’s fiancé, Faster Pussycat singer Taime Downe, of any wrongdoing. Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025 Cruisers disembark, crush the town, then return aboard, minus the hotel stay which is a city’s greatest source of tourism revenue. Chadd Scott, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Preposition
No one on the ground was injured, and the five people aboard the plane were taken to hospitals, WGAL reported. Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2025 The Boeing Starliner astronauts, who launched on the spacecraft's Crewed Flight Test on June 5, have been living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) ever since their capsule returned to Earth without them. Josh Dinner, Space.com, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for aboard

Word History

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

Middle English abord, probably in part borrowed from Middle French a bord, a bort "on board," in part from Middle English a- a- entry 1 + bord "board, side of a ship" — more at board entry 1

Preposition

Middle English abord, derivative of abord aboard entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aboard was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aboard. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

aboard

1 of 2 adverb
ə-ˈbōrd How to pronounce aboard (audio)
-ˈbȯrd
: on, onto, or within a vehicle (as a car, ship, or airplane)

aboard

2 of 2 preposition
: on or into especially as a passenger
go aboard ship

More from Merriam-Webster on aboard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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