checkmate

American  

[chek-meyt] / ˈtʃɛkˌmeɪt /

noun

• checkmates
  plural

1. Also called mate.  Chess.

   1. an act or instance of maneuvering the opponent's king into a check from which it cannot escape, thus bringing the game to a victorious conclusion.

   2. the position of the pieces when a king is checkmated.

2. a complete check; defeat.

   His efforts to escape met with a checkmate.

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verb (used with object)

• checkmates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• checkmated,
  past participle,  past
• checkmating
  present participle

1. Chess. to maneuver (an opponent's king) into a check from which it cannot escape; mate.

2. to check completely; defeat.

   Napoleon was checkmated at Waterloo.

interjection

1. Chess. (used by a player to announce that they have put the opponent's king into inextricable check.)

checkmate British  

/ ˈtʃɛkˌmeɪt /

noun

1. chess

   1. the winning position in which an opponent's king is under attack and unable to escape

   2. the move by which this position is achieved

2. utter defeat

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verb

1. chess to place (an opponent's king) in checkmate

2. to thwart or render powerless

interjection

1. chess a call made when placing an opponent's king in checkmate

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uncheckmated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• checkmates
  plural

Participles

• checkmating
  present
• checkmated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• checkmate
  simple
• checkmates
  simple
• have checkmated
  perfect
• has checkmated
  perfect
• am checkmating
  progressive
• are checkmating
  progressive
• is checkmating
  progressive
• have been checkmating
  perfect progressive
• has been checkmating
  perfect progressive

Past

• checkmated
  simple
• had checkmated
  perfect
• was checkmating
  progressive
• were checkmating
  progressive
• had been checkmating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will checkmate
  simple
• will have checkmated
  perfect
• will be checkmating
  progressive
• will have been checkmating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of checkmate

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English chek mat(e), from Middle French escec mat, from Arabic shāh māt, from Persian: literally, “the king (is) checked, nonplussed”

Explanation

Checkmate is a chess move that makes it impossible for your opponent to win. A checkmate can also be any kind of clear victory. In chess, a checkmate is a move that leaves your opponent with no more options: there is no move that won't result in you getting their king and therefore ending the game. Since a checkmate is so final, the word is used for other kinds of final victories. In basketball, a three-point shot that seals a win could be called a checkmate. In politics, a speech that wins votes and wraps up an election could be called a checkmate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

checkmate checkmates checkmated checkmating

But the moment Washington forced an error by the Broncos’ defense, the Huskies called checkmate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2025

But will either help their team to a checkmate position by full-time?

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

If this is supposed to be some 4-D chess move, it looks an awful lot like checkmate — for the wrong side.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2025

Ackman presented the director’s allyship as a checkmate even though, once again, neither he nor Oxman denied any of the reporting on the substance.

From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2024

One mistake is the argument that discovery claims are necessarily retrospective because ‘discovery’ is an ‘achievement word’, like checkmate in chess.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The finale presents a remarkable range of checkmates for the hapless Black king: 24.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 21, 2023

Rxa8, and White soon to be queened pawn will help deliver checkmates in a couple of moves.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 8, 2022

She exploits every scrap of ironic humor, as Richard gloatingly checkmates all who stand in her way.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 19, 2018

Karjakin threatened no less than four checkmates, and there’s no way Carlsen could have sidestepped them all.

From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2016

In sixty seconds flat, she checkmates her opponent’s king.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

After years of jostling with Alatorre and his protege, Richard Polanco, Villaraigosa won over the former and checkmated the latter in his successful run for mayor in 2005.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

"She's almost checkmated herself. She can't U-turn. And pressing on seems terminal too," a former Downing Street spinner observes.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2022

It insisted the game was a draw, even though I had thoroughly checkmated my kid.

From The Verge ● Nov. 5, 2021

Both outcomes would ensure, they calculated, a shift in the regional balance of power in their favor and that their geopolitical rival Iran would be checkmated for the foreseeable future.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 12, 2019

Papa had just checkmated Jaja when we heard the martial music on the radio, the solemn strains making us stop to listen.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

That is as humiliating as it gets — to have somebody say, “You suck, Uncle Jake,” spelled wrong while checkmating me.

From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2024

Partly that was because of the checkmating defense by his old coach, Bill Belichick, and partly it was the pelting rain and chill winds, which had once been his home-field allies.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 4, 2021

Harris was also asked about Chargers receiver Keenan Allen’s dismissive comments about Harris last week after the Broncos star cornerback was primarily responsible for checkmating the league’s top receiver in Denver’s 20-13 win.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 15, 2019

They imagined they could corral him and use him to achieve their own purposes, such as checkmating labor unions and reasserting German strength.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2018

You were checkmating your miserable accomplices unquestionably—but it was for your own ends!

From Doors of the Night by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard