A clipboard is a flat board with a clip at the top that holds papers in place so you can write on them without needing a desk or table. The spring-loaded clip grips your papers firmly, keeping them from fluttering away in the wind or sliding around as you write.

You'll see clipboards everywhere: coaches use them during games to track plays and statistics, doctors carry them through hospitals to review patient charts, and teachers might use them while walking around the classroom checking homework. Before computers became common, clipboards were essential office tools. Workers would clip forms, checklists, or notes to their clipboard and carry their work from place to place.

The word also refers to a hidden storage space in your computer or phone. When you copy text or an image, it goes to your device's clipboard temporarily. Then you can paste it somewhere else. Just like a physical clipboard holds your paper until you need it, a digital clipboard holds information until you're ready to use it. The digital clipboard usually holds just one item at a time: if you copy something new, it replaces what was there before.