checkmate

check-mate · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A position in chess where a player's king is in check and cannot escape, ending the game in defeat.

  2. 2.

    To put an opponent's king in checkmate.

  3. 3.

    Said when putting an opponent in checkmate.

  4. 4.

    A final defeat or deadlock from which there is no escape.

  5. 5.

    To defeat completely or put in an impossible position.

Forms

plural: checkmates

Related words

Antonyms: draw, stalemate
See also: check, chess, defeat, stalemate
Synonyms: defeat, victory, winning move

Etymology

From Old French eschec mat, from Persian shāh māt ("the king is dead" or "the king is helpless"). The Persian māt means "defeated" or "helpless," not literally "dead" as sometimes believed.