across the board

What it means

Applying to everyone or everything in a group equally, without exception. It is often used about changes, increases, or rules that affect all parts of something at once.

Words like “across the board” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.

Examples

• The company gave a five percent pay rise across the board.
• Prices have gone up across the board this year.
• The new safety rules apply across the board to every department.
• Sales improved across the board, in every region and product line.

Where it comes from

The phrase comes from horse racing in the early 1900s, where a bet 'across the board' covered a horse to win, place, and show all at once.

Related idioms