Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To board (an aircraft, for example) ahead of the regular time or before other passengers.
  • intransitive verb To allow (one or more passengers) to board ahead of the regular time or before other passengers.
  • intransitive verb To board an aircraft or other conveyance ahead of the regular time or before other passengers.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To allow someone to step or climb onto or otherwise enter a ship, aircraft, train or other conveyance before other people are allowed to board.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

pre- +‎ board

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Examples

  • The time before a flight departure that US authorities now require passengers to be at an airport in order to allow enough time for mandatory curbside, ticket-counter, food court, security gate and preboard full body scans and/or strip searches; domestic - 3 hours, international - 6 hours.

    sourhours (pl n) 2010

  • A word like postgraduate is, I suppose, just the flip side of the linguistic tendency that has us prefilling our prescription refills, pre-reserving theater seats, and milling around irritably in airport waiting areas while certain passengers preboard the plane.

    Word Court 2005

  • A word like postgraduate is, I suppose, just the flip side of the linguistic tendency that has us prefilling our prescription refills, pre-reserving theater seats, and milling around irritably in airport waiting areas while certain passengers preboard the plane.

    Word Court 2005

  • We preboard the plane so I can get settled before anyone else comes on.

    Are We There Yet? Robert Caprio 2003

  • We preboard the plane so I can get settled before anyone else comes on.

    Are We There Yet? Robert Caprio 2003

  • We sat at the end of the terminal, watching mothers preboard with their babies.

    Land of the Blind Walter, Jess, 1969- 2003

  • In this edition: The etiquette of getting stranded; how many people get to preboard with a toddler?

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • The gate agent announces, "Passengers traveling with children under the age of 5 may preboard at this time."

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • A: I don't think the whole group gets to preboard.

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • "Why didn't you preboard?" the flight attendant says as she sees us lumbering down the ramp at her.

    Motherhood is Not for Wimps 2009

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