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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of checkpoint

First recorded in 1935–40; check ¹ + point

Example Sentences

The checkpoint is near the corner of 17th Street Northwest and Pennsylvania Avenue, an area typically crowded with tourists just outside the White House complex.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

The sign saying “Use of this technology is optional,” adorn the security checkpoint entrances.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

Silva, a housewife, rests on a bench in the plaza, a few meters from a military checkpoint.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Transportation Security Administration checkpoint numbers are pretty level with last year and the year before, the war is only two and a half months old, and Memorial Day is still around the corner.

From Slate • May 12, 2026

One car had stopped at the checkpoint, and another had rammed into it from behind.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie