Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Checkmate
Check′mate
(chĕk′māt)
, Noun.
[F.
échec et mat
, fr. Per. shāh māt
checkmate, lit., the king is dead, fr. Ar. māta
he died, is dead. The king, when made prisoner, or checkmated, is assumed to be dead, and the game is finished. See Chess
.] 1.
The position in the game of chess when a king is in check and cannot be released, – which ends the game.
2.
A complete check; utter defeat or overthrow.
Check′mate
(-māt)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Checkmated
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Checkmating
.] 1.
(Chess)
To check (an adversary’s king) in such a manner that escape in impossible; to defeat (an adversary) by putting his king in check from which there is no escape.
2.
To defeat completely; to terminate; to thwart.
To
checkmate
and control my just demands. Ford.
Definition 2024
checkmate
checkmate
English
Interjection
checkmate
Synonyms
- (chess): mate
Translations
said when making the conclusive move in chess
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Noun
checkmate (plural checkmates)
- The conclusive victory in a game of chess that occurs when an opponent's king is threatened with unavoidable capture.
- (figuratively, by extension) Any losing situation with no escape; utter defeat.
Related terms
Translations
conclusive victory in a game of chess
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losing situation with no escape
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Verb
checkmate (third-person singular simple present checkmates, present participle checkmating, simple past and past participle checkmated)
- (transitive, chess) To put the king of an opponent into checkmate.
- That jerk checkmated me in four moves!
- (transitive, by extension) To place in a losing situation that has no escape.
Translations
to put an opponent into checkmate
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to lead to a situation of no escape