checkmate
1
7.0
- noun
- /ˈtʃɛkˌmeɪt/
- Informal
:
jaque mate
- After a long battle, the final move led to a checkmate that secured his victory.
Examples
-
In this debate, her argument was so strong that it left him in a checkmate position, unable to counter effectively.
-
In the great game of survival, this is checkmate.
-
The result is checkmate for America and the permanent rise of China and India as the superpowers of the 21st century.
Blog text (25) -
In early April of 1865, Lee's gaunt and decimated Army of Northern Virginia was decisively beaten at Five Forks, making checkmate inevitable.
Academic text (2003) -
The team's clever strategy resulted in a quick checkmate against their opponents.
Synonyms
2
8.2
A chess move that ends the game by trapping the king
Antonyms
How Decisive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Checkmate comes from the Persian words shah and mat, meaning 'king' and 'helpless'. So in everyday speech a checkmate is a move or result that leaves an opponent with no reply and means a total defeat.