# tread the boards

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈbɔːdz/

## Definitions
1. To work as a theatre actor.
2. To write plays for the theatre.

## Etymology
From the fact that theatre stages are often made of wooden boards which are trodden by actors. Compare French monter sur les planches (literally “to get up onto the boards”).
The term boards (“a theatrical stage”) was first attested in the mid-1700s, this idiom itself was first attested in the mid-1800s, and was preceded by the idiom tread the stage, first attested in 1691.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tread-the-boards