Definition

1. Noun:
   • A piece of dining room furniture: A sideboard is a long, low piece of furniture, typically with cabinets, shelves, and/or drawers, used in a dining room for storing dishes, glasses, linens, and serving food.
   • A board forming part of a side: A sideboard can be a board that forms a side panel or section of a structure, such as a bed or a crib.
   • A removable wagon panel: A sideboard is a removable board fitted to the side of a wagon or cart to increase its capacity for carrying loads.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Dining Room Furniture):
  • The silverware is kept in the sideboard.
  • She placed the serving dishes on the sideboard before dinner.
• Noun (Structural Panel):
  • One of the sideboards on the antique crib was loose.
• Noun (Wagon Panel):
  • The farmer added sideboards to the wagon to carry more hay.

Advanced Usage

• "To be on the sideboard": (Idiomatic, less common) To be available or put aside for use.
  • The extra plates are on the sideboard if we need them.

Variants and Related Words

• Sideboard (plural: sideboards): When referring to the furniture item, the plural is regular (sideboards). In historical or structural contexts, the plural is also "sideboards."
• Buffet: A synonym for a sideboard used for serving food, though a buffet may be more focused on serving surfaces than storage.
• Credenza: A similar piece of furniture, often lower and used in dining rooms or offices.

Synonyms

• Buffet: A piece of dining room furniture for holding dishes and serving food.
• Cupboard: A cabinet or closet for storing dishes or food (though this is more general).
• Panel: A flat, typically rectangular piece forming part of a surface (for the structural/wagon meanings).

Related Phrases

• Sideboard table: (Compound) A table designed in the style of a traditional sideboard.
• To fit the sideboards: (Phrasal) To attach the removable panels to a wagon.

Related Idioms

• (As) solid as a sideboard: (Idiomatic, rare) Used to describe something or someone as very sturdy, reliable, or substantial, likened to the solid construction of a sideboard.
  • After years of training, his defense was as solid as a sideboard.

Noun

1. a piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers
2. a board that forms part of the side of a bed or crib
3. a removable board fitted on the side of a wagon to increase its capacity