checkpoint

American  

[chek-point] / ˈtʃɛkˌpɔɪnt /

noun

1. a place along a road, border, etc., where travelers are stopped for inspection.

2. a point or item, especially in a procedure, for notation, inspection, or confirmation.

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checkpoint British  

/ ˈtʃɛkˌpɔɪnt /

noun

1. a place, as at a frontier or in a motor rally, where vehicles or travellers are stopped for official identification, inspection, etc

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Etymology

Origin of checkpoint

First recorded in 1935–40; check ¹ + point

Example Sentences

Checkpoint inhibitors, first approved in the U.S. in 2011, remove a brake on the immune system.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

It's a busy day at Woodlands Checkpoint, Singapore's main land crossing on the border with Malaysia, and thousands of cars are slowly trundling past the watchful eyes of customs officer Belinda Liaw and her team.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

Checkpoint inhibitors target specific areas of the immune system to override tumour survival mechanisms.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2024

Checkpoint inhibitors are obvious partners because they stymie tumors’ mechanisms for shutting down T cells.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 4, 2023

Sergeant Michael Rafferty was guarding Checkpoint Charlie, the precise spot where US and Soviet tanks had faced off three decades earlier when the Wall first went up.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau