checkpoint

American  

[chek-point] / ˈtʃɛkˌpɔɪnt /

noun

checkpoints plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• checkpoints
  plural

Etymology

Origin of checkpoint

First recorded in 1935–40; check ¹ + point

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

checkpoint checkpoints

MIAMI—My escort ducked his head into the empty TSA checkpoint 2 miles outside Miami International Airport and whispered, “We have a member arriving.‘

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

They then travel from a parking lot in a shuttle operated by park authorities and cross a military checkpoint guarded by armed South Korean marines.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

When The Times was at the promenade Thursday afternoon, the security line was moving quickly at each checkpoint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Immune checkpoint inhibitors work by activating the body's own T cells and encouraging them to move into tumors where they can destroy cancer cells.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

Without her card, the South Vietnamese soldiers at the checkpoint would assume she was a Communist.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Officials advised commuters to use alternate entrances as portions of the neighborhood became accessible only through managed checkpoints.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

The White House is protected by intense surveillance, fencing, checkpoints, anti-air-attack capabilities, snipers and a permanent group of quick-reaction forces.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

If you don’t count the military checkpoints, air-raid sirens or 11 p.m. curfew, you wouldn’t know Ukraine was at war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Temporary checkpoints were also set up at the entrance to nearby Qalqilya.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

On yesterday’s trip, a Sunday afternoon, there were no less than six checkpoints to get through, more than one every 10 miles.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein