aboard
Americanadverb
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on board; on, in, or into a ship, train, airplane, bus, etc..
to step aboard.
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alongside; to the side.
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Baseball. on base.
a homer with two aboard.
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into a group as a new member.
The office manager welcomed him aboard.
preposition
idioms
adverb
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on, in, onto, or into (a ship, train, aircraft, etc)
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nautical alongside (a vessel)
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a warning to passengers to board a vehicle, ship, etc
Etymology
Origin of aboard
1350–1400; Middle English abord ( e ) ( see a- 1, board), perhaps conflated with Middle French a bord
Explanation
The adverb aboard means on board, as in on a ship, train or plane. Usually the captain will welcome you aboard with a brief speech if you're lucky — or a long one if you're not. Aboard comes from the French phrase à bord, which has the same meaning as the English word — on board. If you were just hired, your new manager might say "Welcome aboard" (the figurative company train). The phrase "All aboard!" is said as a warning before departure, especially before a ship or train leaves. It means, in essence: haul your keister up here quick or you'll be left behind!
Vocabulary lists containing aboard
Words Every Pirate Should Know
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"The Star-Spangled Banner" and "The Flag We Love"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Aboard Air Force One en route to Beijing, Trump vowed on social media to push Xi to "open up" China to US firms "so that these brilliant people can work their magic".
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump referred to the generations of Cubans, like Rubio's parents, who had fled the island to the United States.
From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026
Aboard Air Force One, he gaggled with reporters and would not confirm what he would do about Iran.
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2025
Aboard Air Force One en route to Miami, Florida, on Thursday, Trump praised Ms Loomer and confirmed he had met with her, calling her a "great patriot" and a "very strong person".
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2025
Aboard the sub B-130, Captain Nikolai Shumkov gave his communications officer permission to break the rules and try to get some sort of update on world events.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
