checkerboard

noun

check·​er·​board ˈche-kər-ˌbȯrd How to pronounce checkerboard (audio)
1
: a board used in various games (such as checkers) with usually 64 squares in 2 alternating colors
2
: something that has a pattern or arrangement like a checkerboard

Examples of checkerboard in a Sentence

The fields formed a checkerboard of light and dark squares.
Recent Examples on the Web
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The scientists have already utilized the technology to print items such as a checkerboard pattern, a cross, a chain, a ball in a cage, and two balls in a helix. Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 4 June 2025 That offering included 12 unisex pieces with that signature checkerboard pattern, such as earrings, rings, and bracelets. Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 28 May 2025 By the 1950s, the railroad’s checkerboard sections of the Palm Springs area became wealthy and white while the Agua Caliente’s checkerboard sections on the reservation became the home of comparatively poorer Tribal communities. Michael Albertus, TIME, 15 Jan. 2025 Unbleached cord, woven in a simple checkerboard pattern, offers a maximal contrast to the industrial chrome frame and allows the system to transform into a ten-piece collection of soft benches, chairs, stools and tables. Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for checkerboard

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of checkerboard was in 1775

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Cite this Entry

“Checkerboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/checkerboard. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

checkerboard

noun
check·​er·​board -ˌbō(ə)rd How to pronounce checkerboard (audio)
-ˌbȯ(ə)rd
: a board used in games and marked with 64 squares in two colors

More from Merriam-Webster on checkerboard

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