checkerboard

[ chek-er-bawrd, -bohrd ]

noun

1. a board marked off into 64 squares of two alternating colors, arranged in eight vertical and eight horizontal rows, on which checkers checker or chess is played.
2. a design resembling this:

   The garden was laid out in a checkerboard.

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in or mark with a checkerboard pattern:

   a wall checkerboarded with black and white tiles.

checkerboard

/ ˈtʃɛkəˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a square board divided into 64 squares of alternating colours, used for playing checkers or chess Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)draughtboard

Word History and Origins

Origin of checkerboard¹

First recorded in 1765–75; checker ¹ + board

Example Sentences

Artists before Beeple had turned their works into NFTs but Beeple was the first to transform a checkerboard of 5,000 images into a single NFT, which tickled the fancy of Christie’s, no less.

From Nautilus

Every day he works, no matter how hot, he layers up to protect himself from pesticides and the sun, driving out of Oasis Mobile Home Park into that gray-green checkerboard to plant, pick or pack strawberries or cauliflower or broccoli or carrots.

From ProPublica

If you’ve ever traced the checkerboard squares of public land or needed to find the edges of your own property, you’ve seen those survey lines, which stretch perfectly straight across paper maps.

From Outside Online

Three types of interactions result in stacked sheets of chromosomes, giving the heat maps that checkerboard or mattress look.

From Science News

With patchwork and kitschy patterns, like checkerboard or squiggles.

From Vox

While it preserves a checkerboard of forest, the result on wildlife is devastating.

From The Daily Beast

I remember this pair of Capri pants, the backs were checkerboard and the fronts were black.

From The Daily Beast

The once-Republican Solid South is starting to look like a blue-and-red checkerboard, writes Lloyd Green.

From The Daily Beast

A moment later a maid placed on the table beside the checkerboard a tray, with a decanter and glasses, and a pitcher of water.

From Project Gutenberg

Then cut them into thin slices for serving and they will be found to resemble a checkerboard.

From Project Gutenberg

Ezra goes too, and sometimes we take the old checkerboard and have a game or so.

From Project Gutenberg

The streets lay parallel and at right angles like the lines on a checkerboard.

From Project Gutenberg

It will even strive to imitate a black and white checkerboard.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• chain
• grid
• net
• organization
• structure
• system
• web