1
: placed to win if a competitor wins, places, or shows
an across-the-board racing bet
2
: embracing or affecting all classes or categories : blanket
an across-the-board price increase

Examples of across-the-board in a Sentence

an across-the-board reduction in the state's budget because of declining revenues
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Felt Globally On Friday, China retaliated against Trump’s new tariffs, responding to Wednesday’s 34% increase with its own 34% across-the-board tariffs on U.S. imports. Katharina Buchholz, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025 But the new Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods do not bring China's across-the-board levies to the same level as those of the U.S. on Chinese goods. John Ruwitch, NPR, 4 Apr. 2025 In a rare bipartisan rebuke, 51 senators, including four Republicans, voted on Wednesday to end Trump's tariff on Canadian goods just hours after Trump implemented 10% across-the-board tariffs on imports and additional reciprocal tariffs on goods from 60 countries. Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025 Stocks tumbled on Thursday, the day after the president unveiled an elevated tariff policy that began at an across-the-board baseline of 10%, and steepened from there for countries such as China, Vietnam and those in the European Union. Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for across-the-board

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of across-the-board was in 1945

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Cite this Entry

“Across-the-board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/across-the-board. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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