aboard

aboard — adverb

1. inside a ship, plane, train, or bus, or moving onto one to travel in it.

1.adverbB2
Definition

inside a ship, plane, train, or bus, or moving onto one to travel in it.

Example

Once everyone was aboard, the ferry slowly pulled away from the dock.

be aboard for already inside a vehicle

Captain Liu welcomed the passengers aboard with a warm smile.

welcome [someone] aboard

Common collocations
  • climb aboard
  • get aboard
  • welcome aboard
  • all aboard
  • come aboard
Synonyms
  • on board

    two-word form, identical meaning, slightly more common in everyday speech

  • on

    shorter and far more common; aboard is more formal or used for ships and planes

Antonyms
  • ashore

    specifically for leaving a ship for land

  • off

    general opposite for getting off a vehicle

Grammar Patterns

be aboard

come/get/climb aboard

welcome aboard

Usage Note

Often paired with verbs of motion (climb, get, come, jump) for the act of boarding, and with be for the resulting state. The shouted phrase 'All aboard!' is a fixed signal used by train and ship staff before departure.

Common Mistakes

I went aboard to the bus.
I got on the bus.
use 'get on' for everyday buses; 'aboard' sounds odd or overly formal with city buses unless announced by staff.
She is aboard in the ship.
She is aboard the ship.
no preposition needed after aboard when the vehicle follows.

2. in baseball, safely standing on a base after a hit, walk, or successful steal.

2.adverbC1
Definition

in baseball, safely standing on a base after a hit, walk, or successful steal.

Example

With two runners aboard, the Yankees needed only a single to tie the game.

with [number] runners aboard

Diego reached first base safely and was now aboard for his teammate to drive home.

be aboard after reaching base

Common collocations
  • runners aboard
  • two aboard
  • with men aboard
Synonyms
  • on base

    the standard non-shorthand version used by most fans and commentators

Antonyms
  • out

    when a runner has been called out and is no longer on base

Grammar Patterns

be aboard

with [number] aboard

Usage Note

Restricted to baseball commentary and reporting. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense never appears with vehicle nouns and is typically used in passive-style 'be aboard' constructions or counts of base runners.

Common Mistakes

He hit the ball and went aboard.
He hit the ball and reached base.
'aboard' describes the resulting state of being on a base, not the act of running there.

aboard — preposition

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four can describe being inside a vehicle, but they differ in register and scope. 'Aboard' is the most formal and is the standard choice for ships, planes, and spacecraft, where it carries a slight nautical or official tone — think of a captain announcing 'welcome aboard'. 'On board' is the two-word version with the same meaning but a shade more conversational; 'everyone is on board' sounds neutral in everyday speech. 'On' is the simplest and most frequent in casual talk, especially for buses, trains, and bikes — Taiwanese learners should default to 'on the bus', not 'aboard the bus'. 'Inside' shifts the focus to the enclosed cabin space rather than the vehicle as a whole, so 'inside the plane' suggests the interior, while 'aboard the plane' simply means travelling on it.

aboard ↗on board ↗on ↗inside ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • passengers aboard
  • crew aboard
  • everyone aboard

Adverbs

  • safely aboard
  • already aboard
  • back aboard

Phrases

  • all aboard
  • welcome aboard
  • come aboard
  • climb aboard
  • get aboard

Prepositions

  • aboard for

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Aboard formed in Middle English by combining the prefix 'a-' (meaning 'on' or 'in') with 'board', which originally referred to the side or deck of a ship. So at heart aboard simply means 'on the side' of a vessel. Over time the word stretched beyond ships to cover any large vehicle a person travels inside, and the welcoming phrase 'welcome aboard' even spread to non-vehicle contexts such as joining a team or company.