the boards

plural noun

US
: the low wooden wall that surrounds the playing surface in ice hockey
He crashed into the boards.

Examples of the boards 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.
Eriksson Ek scare Top Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek left 29 seconds into the third period after sliding awkwardly into the boards. Michael Russo, New York Times, 1 May 2026 Rubio is an entrepreneur who founded the ubiquitous travel brand Away, and Butterfield, who is on the boards of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Dia Art Foundation, is a software executive who co-founded Flickr and Slack. Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026 Later, Josh Manson got planted into the metal part of the boards near the home bench at game speed, suffering an upper-body injury that sent him back to the locker room. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026 Some hurts Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen never returned because of a lower-body injury after being knocked hard into the boards by Hartman late in the first period. CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026 Heiskanen appeared to get sandwiched in between Hartman and the boards before going down in a heap and possibly getting his knee tangled up underneath him. R.j. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 10 Apr. 2026 Despite the Gaels' size (playing three posts 6-foot-8 or taller) and A&M's lack of it (just one player over 6-foot-8 took the court), the Aggies still faired well on the boards, 31-32, and dominated in the paint, 28-12. Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026 The Spartans had a 35-23 advantage on the boards and did not allow any second-chance baskets. ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026 Cronin spent most of the season demanding more of Dent on defense and on the boards. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The boards.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20boards. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster