🧩 A mix 🔢 A secret code 🤝 A group alliance ➗ A selection ♟️ A move sequence

combination

5 6.8

A planned set of chess moves that often uses a sacrifice to get a better position

noun
/ˌkɒmbɪˈneɪʃən/

Jargon

: combinación

It's easy to work out in a boxing gym, pounding the heavy bag, focusing on your combinations, power, footwork, and cardio.
a combination of moves
three-move combination

Examples

Instead, Marquez fights smart by countering his opponent and picking his spots where he can unload with combinations.

Blog text (4)
In chess, a surprising combination allowed her to checkmate her opponent in just three moves.
Every engagement involved a combination of fixing and maneuvering.

Academic text (1990)
- With one minute remaining in the third round, both athletes are landing some incredible combinations, although neither fighter seems able to seize the advantage.

Best of the Best (1989)
St-Pierre would land a combination against the cage and then secure a takedown.

Blog text (20)
Balboa landing potent combinations to the head of the champion.

Rocky Balboa (2006)
Seems to be the same combination he's throwing over and over, and Creed can't stop it.

Creed III (2023)
After a brief stoppage in the action, Damm was able to land a combination that had Carvalho on his heels.

Blog text (20)
The grandmaster executed a brilliant combination that involved sacrificing his queen to gain a winning position.
After careful analysis, he discovered a deadly combination that led to a decisive advantage in the game.

Compounds

combination of

356 1.8

The joining of two or more things

combination lock

5 2.8

A device that opens only when you enter the right numbers

combination in restraint of trade

Formal

9.5

An agreement between companies that limits competition, often by fixing prices, and is illegal under US law

combination plane

Archaic

9.3

A woodworking tool with changeable blades that cuts grooves and shapes wood

combination salad

2.2

A salad of lettuce and vegetables with added meat or cheese

fixed-combination drug

Specialized

5.6

A medicine with set amounts of two or more active ingredients in one pill

horizontal combination

Specialized

7.7

Joining companies that do the same work to reduce competition or save money

vertical combination

Specialized

7.8

Companies at different stages of making and selling join into one firm

Surface Forms

combination singular

combinations plural

Morphology

combination = combine (semi-transparent) = combine + ation

The chess sense is a domain-specific extension denoting a coordinated sequence of moves and is not fully predictable from the base verb alone.

Etymology

Combination comes from the part com- meaning 'together' and the verb combine, and in chess it describes moves that work 'together' to reach a goal. That's why a chess combination is a planned series of joined moves, often giving up a piece to win later.