checkmate

noun
UK: /ˈtʃekmeɪt/
US: /ˈtʃekmeɪt/

  1. In chess, a situation where the king is in a position from which it cannot escape being captured, ending the game.

    1. It's checkmate; you lose this game.
    2. With that clever move, I had him in checkmate and secured the win.

  2. A situation where someone has been defeated or put at a disadvantage from which they cannot recover.

    1. The scandal was checkmate for his political career.
    2. The unexpected lawsuit put the company in checkmate, threatening its survival.

Synonyms

defeat impasse deadlock stalemate
checkmate transitive-verb

  1. To put an opponent's king in checkmate.

    1. I will checkmate you soon!
    2. She managed to checkmate her opponent with a surprising final move.

  2. To defeat someone completely, leaving them no possibility of winning or recovering.

    1. They tried to checkmate our plans.
    2. The company's innovative product completely checkmated its competitors in the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "checkmate" in English means: In chess, a situation where the king is in a position from which it cannot escape being captured, ending the game., A situation where someone has been defeated or put at a disadvantage from which they cannot recover..

The phonetic transcription of "checkmate" is /ˈtʃekmeɪt/ in British English and /ˈtʃekmeɪt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "checkmate": defeat, impasse, deadlock, stalemate.

Example usage of "checkmate": "It's checkmate; you lose this game.". More examples on the page.