mortarboard
noun
mor·tar·board
| \ ˈmȯr-tər-ˌbȯrd
\
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Definition of mortarboard
1
: an academic cap consisting of a closely fitting headpiece with a broad flat projecting square top
2a
: hawk sense 2
b
: a board or platform about three feet (one meter) square for holding mortar
Illustration of mortarboard
mortarboard 1
Examples of mortarboard in a Sentence
The students donned robes and mortarboards for graduation.
Recent Examples on the Web
The name combines a lucky color and a lucky number, but that doesn’t help me, or the ladies with matching visors, or the recent grad dressed to the nines and wearing her mortarboard: There’s an hourlong wait. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Our food critic ate her way through the Encore Boston casino so you don’t have to," 25 June 2019 You have been instructed to remove the clumsy black mortarboard at this point in the commencement ceremony. — Joyce Carol Oates, Harper's magazine, "The Unexpected," 10 May 2019 More and more, Bock has noticed political themes on mortarboards. — Rachel Leingang, azcentral, "As students express themselves on caps, commencement formality goes by the (mortar)boards," 11 May 2018 Instead of donning mortarboards to toss in the air, graduates of the Seattle Indian Health Board’s residency program were wrapped in Native songs, blessings and blankets. — Bettina Hansen, The Seattle Times, "Seattle Indian Health Board’s residency program celebrates its graduates," 30 June 2018 The Vernon Board of Education voted against allowing Rockville High School graduates to decorate their mortarboards for the school's graduation. — Steve Smith, Courant Community, "Board Denies Decorated Mortarboards," 19 June 2018 His tweet, with the hashtag gsu18 and a photo of him with mortarboard atop his white hair, connected with people. — Matt Kempner, ajc, "Kempner: How this selfie sensation from Cobb took 49 years to graduate," 14 May 2018 Lake Virtual School graduates will receive their diplomas Thursday night while East Ridge High grads will don their mortarboards Saturday at CFE Arena at UCF, where South Lake’s ceremony also will be held. — Rosemarie Dowell, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Project Graduation returns to Mount Dora High, one year after thieves tried to ruin party," 14 May 2018 Many graduates decorated the top of their mortarboards, including Danielle Adaska. — Karie Angell Luc, chicagotribune.com, "Mundelein High School celebrates Class of 2018," 14 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mortarboard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for mortarboard
mortarboard
noun
English Language Learners Definition of mortarboard
: a hat with a flat square top that is worn for special ceremonies at some schools
See the full definition for mortarboard in the English Language Learners Dictionary