Washboards meaning : A board with a corrugated surface against which laundry may be rubbed. Such a board used as a simple percussion instrument. A board fastened along a ship's gunwale to prevent splashing; a splashboard. A stretch of ripples or bumps on a dirt or gravel road caused by interaction between traffic and road surface. Baseboard; skirting board To produce a rippled texture on a surface. To play a washboard. (bees) To move up and down or back and forth across the surface of a hive, possibly to lay down a layer of propolis and wax.