checkered flag
Americannoun
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a flag having a pattern of black and white squares, used to signal that a car has crossed the finish line and completed its race.
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this signal indicating the first car to cross the finish line or the winner.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But by the time they took the last checkered flag of the year, on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, it was Norris who had done just enough.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025
“Well,” Verstappen said after taking the checkered flag, “it’s all possible now.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
Hamlin was soundly booed as he grabbed the checkered flag — boos louder than usual at the track because of the surprisingly full grandstands.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
He darted to the front and took the checkered flag, but not before one other delay caused by Gibbs crashing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
A checkered flag waves and our cars speed off, zipping down virtual city streets and jumping over police cars.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.