Meaning & Origin

“Across the board” describes a change or rule that affects every group or category equally — a uniform effect rather than a selective one. It appears widely in business, news, and everyday English.

Pronunciation Guide

• across — uh‑KROSS.
• the — often “thuh.”
• board — rhymes with “gourd.”
• As an adjective before a noun, use hyphens: across‑the‑board cuts.

Usage & Sentence Examples

Use it when something applies to all people, teams, items, or categories.

• Test scores improved across the board this year.
• Management announced an across‑the‑board bonus.
• The cafe raised prices across the board.
• Safety rules apply across the board, no exceptions.
• We need performance improvements across the board, not just in support.
• The update brings speed gains across the board on older phones.

Synonyms

universally · for everyone · system‑wide · industry‑wide · blanket · general · across all categories