billboard

¹ American  

[bil-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈbɪlˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. a flat surface or board, usually outdoors, on which large advertisements or notices are posted.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place, advertise, proclaim, etc., on or as if on a billboard.

   The movie was billboarded as the year's biggest hit.

billboard ² American  

[bil-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈbɪlˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

Nautical.

1. anchor bed.

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billboard ¹ British  

/ ˈbɪlˌbɔːd /

noun

1. another name for hoarding

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billboard ² British  

/ ˈbɪlˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a fitting at the bow of a vessel for securing an anchor

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Etymology

Origin of billboard¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; bill ¹ + board

Origin of billboard²

First recorded in 1855–60; bill ³ + board

Explanation

A billboard is a giant roadside sign. You might pass several billboards on the highway advertising a car dealership, a restaurant, or anything else someone paid to have on a billboard big enough to be seen by passing cars. When a company decides how to advertise, it may buy Internet ads, TV commercials, newspaper spreads, or billboard advertisements. A billboard is a good way for a business to catch people's attention, because it’s so big and a commuter may drive or walk past it five times a week. The word billboard first appeared in American English in the 1840s, meaning the board or wall where posters or handbills could be pasted. Billboard is also the name of a music magazine.

Example Sentences

JJ: When did the Fashion Nova billboard above the Vertigo click for you as something that felt representative of the city, or something that you wanted to depict?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

In the years the billboard has been up, it’s looked over dozens and dozens of car encampments like the one depicted in Gomez’s piece.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of "national energy emergency", citing risks to domestic supplies, and Sri Lanka ordered street lights, neon signs and billboard lighting to be switched off.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

A massive billboard on display in northern Tehran shows Khamenei in his clerical robes standing in trenches, pointing at missiles being fired in the distance and surrounded by officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Following Mr. Tuffett’s finger, Jean Louise looked at the billboard.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Related Words

• advertisement
• placard
• poster
• signboard