across-the-board
across-the-board — adjective
1. describing a change, rule, or measure that applies in the same way to every pers
describing a change, rule, or measure that applies in the same way to every person, group, or category inside a larger system
The company announced an across-the-board pay rise of three percent for every team.
across-the-board + pay rise in a workplace policy context
Noor proposed across-the-board cuts so that no single department would feel singled out.
across-the-board cuts to avoid uneven treatment
After the audit, the school district ordered across-the-board reforms in how grades were checked.
across-the-board reforms after an institutional review
Voters welcomed the across-the-board tax cut, which lowered rates for every income group.
across-the-board tax cut covering all income groups
Élise warned that an across-the-board ban on plastic bags would hurt small shops most.
- across-the-board increase
- across-the-board cut
- across-the-board ban
- across-the-board reform
- across-the-board victory
- blanket
stronger image of a single covering rule; often used with bans, policies, and refusals
- universal
more formal; suggests something applies in principle to everyone, not just inside one system
- comprehensive
focuses on covering every aspect; does not always mean treating every group the same way
Grammar Patterns
an across-the-board increase
an across-the-board cut
across-the-board reform
Usage Note
Almost always sits in front of a noun describing a change, decision, or policy (cut, rise, increase, ban, reform, victory, improvement). Subject is usually an institution, government, or company rather than an individual. The hyphens stay even when used attributively.
Common Mistakes
across-the-board — idiom
1. in a way that includes or has an equal effect on every group, category, or membe
in a way that includes or has an equal effect on every group, category, or member inside a larger system, with nobody left out
The bakery raised its prices across the board after flour and butter became more expensive.
raise prices across the board in response to rising costs
Test scores improved across the board once Amihan introduced the new reading programme.
improve across the board after a single policy change
Quinn's film won across the board, taking prizes for sound, script, and editing.
win across the board covering several award categories
Tunde said wages must rise across the board, not only for the highest earners.
wages rise across the board contrasted with selective rises
Streaming services lost subscribers across the board during the unusually hot summer.
- raise across the board
- improve across the board
- fall across the board
- win across the board
- universally
more formal; emphasises that something is true in every case, not only inside one organisation
- uniformly
highlights that something happens to the same degree; less common in everyday speech
- all round
informal British phrase with a similar 'in every part' meaning, used after verbs of change
- selectively
describes effects that touch only some groups, not every category
Grammar Patterns
raise something across the board
improve across the board
win across the board
Usage Note
Typically follows verbs of change such as rise, fall, increase, cut, improve, win, or lose. Unlike the adjective sense, this form sits after the verb (without hyphens) and describes how the action spreads across every category. Common in business, sports, politics, and education reporting.
Common Mistakes
Etymology
This phrase comes from American horse-racing slang of the late nineteenth century. A bet placed 'across the board' covered all three winning positions on the betting board — win, place, and show — so the bettor stood to collect no matter which of the top three places the horse finished in. From that gambling sense the phrase spread into general English, where it now describes any rule, change, or effect that reaches every category equally.
First known use
1946
1946, in the meaning defined above Adjective