checkerboard: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral, tending towards slightly formal/descriptive. Common in everyday, academic, and technical contexts when describing patterns.
Quick answer
What does “checkerboard” mean?
A board with a pattern of alternating dark and light squares, typically 8x8, used for playing games like checkers (draughts) and chess.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A board with a pattern of alternating dark and light squares, typically 8x8, used for playing games like checkers (draughts) and chess.
Any pattern or arrangement that resembles this alternating grid, such as tiled floors, agricultural plots, or abstract designs in art and textiles. Can also describe a situation or area sharply divided into contrasting parts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In British English, the game is called 'draughts', and the board can be called a 'draughtboard'. However, 'checkerboard' is understood. The pattern is universally called 'checkered' or 'chequered'.
Connotations
Both share core meaning. The 'chequered' spelling (BE) is also used figuratively to mean 'having a varied past' (e.g., a chequered career). 'Checkerboard' (AmE) is the default term for the pattern.
Frequency
'Checkerboard' is significantly more frequent in American English. 'Draughtboard' is a British alternative, but 'chessboard' is often used generically in both varieties.
Grammar
How to Use “checkerboard” in a Sentence
The [surface] was laid out in a checkerboard.The landscape resembled a checkerboard of [contrasting elements].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “checkerboard” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The fields were chequered with patches of wheat and barley.
- To checkerboard the landscape is an old planning technique.
American English
- They plan to checkerboard the parking lot with different coloured paving.
- The policy checkerboarded the state into zones of strict and lax regulation.
adverb
British English
- The tiles were arranged chequerboard-wise across the floor. (Rare/Formal)
American English
- The plants grew checkerboard-style in the experimental plot. (Rare/Technical)
adjective
British English
- She wore a chequered dress.
- The map showed a chequered distribution of the species.
American English
- He bought a checkerboard tablecloth for the picnic.
- The city's voting history is very checkerboard.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might appear in marketing describing a design ('checkerboard layout of products on a webpage').
Academic
Used in geography (checkerboard land ownership), mathematics (tessellation), art (pattern analysis).
Everyday
Describing floors, clothing, tablecloths, or game boards.
Technical
In computer graphics (texture mapping), testing (checkerboard test pattern for displays), agriculture (crop rotation plots).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “checkerboard”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “checkerboard”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “checkerboard”
- Using 'chessboard' and 'checkerboard' interchangeably in competitive game contexts. Confusing 'checkered' (AmE) with 'chequered' (BE) in figurative use.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Physically, they are often the same 8x8 grid. However, 'chessboard' is used for chess, and 'checkerboard' is traditionally associated with checkers/draughts. 'Chessboard' is often used for higher-status contexts.
Yes, though it's less common. It means to arrange something in a pattern of alternating squares or to divide an area into sharply contrasting sections (e.g., 'The county was checkerboarded with forest and farmland').
'Checkered' is the American spelling, 'chequered' is British. Both refer to the pattern. Figuratively, 'a chequered/checkered past/history' means a history marked by periods of both good and bad fortune or behaviour.
It derives from the game 'checkers' (from Old French 'eschequier', meaning chessboard). The game's name came from the board, and then the board was named after the game, creating the compound 'checkerboard'.
A board with a pattern of alternating dark and light squares, typically 8x8, used for playing games like checkers (draughts) and chess.
Checkerboard is usually neutral, tending towards slightly formal/descriptive. common in everyday, academic, and technical contexts when describing patterns. in register.
Checkerboard: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtʃekəbɔːd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtʃekərbɔːrd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A checkerboard of opinions”
- “Checkerboard politics (describing stark regional division)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a cashier (checker) playing chess on a board during a break → CHECKER-BOARD.
Conceptual Metaphor
ORDER/STRUCTURE IS A GRID; DIVISION IS A PATTERN; CONTRADICTION/OPPOSITION IS CONTRASTING COLOURS.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'checkerboard' used metaphorically?