hoverboard

English

WOTD – 21 October 2015

An artist's impression of the hoverboard from the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II

A hoverboard scooter

Alternative forms

hover board

Etymology

hover +‎ board, patterned off of skateboard. First mentioned in the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II.

Pronunciation

(UK) enPR: ʹhŏvərbôrd, IPA^(key): /ˈhɒvəbɔɹd/
(US) enPR: ʹhŭvər'bôrd, IPA^(key): /ˈhʌvɚbɔɹd/
Audio (AU) (file)

Noun

hoverboard (plural hoverboards)

(chiefly science fiction) A levitating board that can be ridden in the manner of a surfboard or skateboard.
A small self-balancing two-wheeled motorised vehicle, related to a scooter.
- 2022 December 14, “Network News: News in Brief: Northern e-scooter ban”, in RAIL, number 972, page 25:
  Northern introduced a ban on e-scooters, hoverboards and e-skateboards on all its stations and trains from December 1, because of a fire risk. Electric wheelchairs and bikes are exempt.

Translations

levitating board

Bulgarian: ховърборд m (hovǎrbord)
Esperanto: ŝvebilo
Finnish: leijulauta (fi)
Greek: χόβερμπορντ (chóvermpornt)
Hungarian: légdeszka
Italian: hoverboard m, volopattino m
Japanese: ホバーボード (hobābōdo)
Korean: 호버보드 (hobeobodeu), 호버 보드 (hobeo bodeu)
Macedonian: лебдечка даска f (lebdečka daska), ховерборд (mk) m (hoverbord)
Swedish: hoverboard (sv) c, svävarbräda (sv) c, balansskoter (sv) c

Verb

hoverboard (third-person singular simple present hoverboards, present participle hoverboarding, simple past and past participle hoverboarded)

(chiefly science fiction) To travel by hoverboard.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:hoverboard.

Translations

to travel by hoverboard

Hungarian: légdeszkázik