sounding board
noun
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The Literal Origins of Sounding Board
Beginning during the Renaissance, a flat wooden canopy called a sounding board was placed over church pulpits, amplifying the sound of the preacher's voice, carrying it to the farthest reaches of the church. Similarly, ideas can be spread by a figurative sounding board. A publication, for example, can be a sounding board for propaganda. That's one modern sense of the word. But when sound bounces off a literal sounding board, not only does it reach more people, it also comes across more clearly. Likewise, bouncing ideas off another person can lend clarity to one's thought processes. If someone comes to you and says "How does this sound?" and leaves with his or her mind made up (whether or not you've ventured a word), you have served as a very effective sounding board.
Examples of sounding board in a Sentence
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
As a result, leaders should build a network of peers and mentors who can provide guidance, advice and a sounding board.
—Claire Simier, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
After beating out Trey Lance for the No. 2 gig before the season, Darnold has served as a veteran sounding board and insurance behind Purdy’s Pro Bowl season (franchise-record 4,280 yards).
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2024
These were made for a variety of purposes: rehearsals, demonstrations, performances, as a sounding board for ideas, as a way to persuade conductors and programmers to champion the work.
—Hugh Morris, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Having a sounding board with which to toss ideas back and forth can be extremely valuable.
—Roberta Matuson, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The two had met in 2004, when Jason Schwartzman introduced Jonze to Leon at a Christmas party, and the pair quickly developed a close bond, becoming one another’s artistic sounding boards.
—Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024
In the worst case, the CFO can serve as a sounding board to the CEO.
—Steven Wasserman, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
Likewise, Film Independent’s current advisory board is comprised of film industry executives, creatives and thought leaders who function as a sounding board for the board of directors and executive leadership.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 25 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sounding board.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sounding board
Cite this Entry
“Sounding board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sounding%20board. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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