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

You only have to wait 90 minutes in the crushing D.C. heat to make it past the Secret Service checkpoint and into the Fan Fest proper.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026

At the Qasmiyeh bridge, gateway to the Tyre area that Israel has pounded in recent weeks, dozens of cars packed with mattresses and suitcases were passing through a Lebanese army checkpoint, passengers flashing victory signs.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

Local residents showed me exactly where their car was hit halfway up the hill to the checkpoint.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

To determine whether these findings were relevant in real-world patients, Chinnaiyan's team analyzed large transcriptomic and clinical datasets from people who had received checkpoint inhibitor therapies for solid tumors.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026

“Anyone suspicious goes over there. Put her with them, and we’ll take her back to the checkpoint to have her papers reviewed.”

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo