across-the-board 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈkrȯs-ṯẖə-ˈbȯrd How to pronounce across-the-board (audio)
Definition of across-the-boardnext
as in general
belonging or relating to the whole an across-the-board reduction in the state's budget because of declining revenues

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

across the board

2 of 2

phrase

as in overall
with everyone or everything taken into account at the same time The Oscar-nominated film received a positive reception across the board.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of across-the-board
Adjective
The state budget, approved in June, imposed the across-the-board limit for the next three years in a bid to stabilize state revenues. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026 If the trust fund that supplements incoming payroll taxes to pay monthly Social Security benefits is depleted, recipients would face an immediate across-the-board 22% benefits cut, the latest Board of Trustees report on Social Security said. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
Phrase
If this is the will of the legislature, then that standard needs to be set across the board for all projects. — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026 Countries rebuilding domestic manufacturing capacity require more raw materials across the board. — Anthony Milewski, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for across-the-board
Recent Examples of Synonyms for across-the-board
  1. general
  2. overall
  3. generic
  4. universal
  5. common
  6. broad
Adjective
  • Officials have also decided on a general application screening and approval process, including what types of background checks will be necessary and which government agencies should be involved.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Davide Sgariboldi, general manager at Euroitalia, said that causes excitement.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of general
Adjective
  • At the same time, overall guitar sales have been in slight but years-long decline so growth has to come at rivals’ expense.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The heel of the shoe and its tongue tag also feature co-branding with Nigo and j-hope’s names on them and, instead of standard cotton laces, the sneakers have braided, multicolor ropes that pick up on the overall color scheme.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of overall
Adjective
  • The party has an average 8-point lead in generic congressional ballot polling, according to RealClearPolitics.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Even though the vast majority of prescriptions are written for generic drugs, drug spending is surging faster than any other category — and drugs have been eating more of the employer’s premium for multiple years now.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of generic
Adjective
  • The role also showed him how universal some of the film’s situations are, from a couple’s difficulty communicating to the pressure of social expectations and the questions people ask themselves about their place in the world.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • It’s regularly tweaked, but major changes to it like the universal voucher are rare.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of universal
Adjective
  • Why data centers became a bipartisan enemy Data centers have become the common enemy of Democrats and Republicans alike.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Infighting remains common among the factions, and there is still no clear political end state.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of common
Adjective
  • The broader testing program is intended to evaluate the vehicles and their operating approach under increasingly representative conditions.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The top trade envoys for China and the European Union agreed Friday on a broad initial deal following two days of talks aimed at calming escalating tensions over trade imbalances, the EU trade commissioner said.
    — Sam McNeil, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of broad

Browse Nearby Words

across
across-the-board
across the board
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Across-the-board.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/across-the-board. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nexus

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All