Meaning of the word checkmate in English

What does checkmate mean in English? Explore the meaning, pronunciation, and specific usage of this word with Lingoland.

checkmate

US /ˈtʃek.meɪt/
UK /ˈtʃek.meɪt/
"checkmate" picture

Noun

a winning position in chess in which a player's king is directly attacked and cannot escape

Example:
The grandmaster delivered a brilliant checkmate in just 20 moves.
It was a clear checkmate, leaving no escape for the opponent's king.

Verb

1.

to defeat completely or gain a decisive advantage over someone

Example:
The company's new product aims to checkmate the competition.
His clever argument effectively checkmated his opponent in the debate.
2.

to put an opponent's king in a checkmate position in chess

Example:
She managed to checkmate her opponent in the final moments of the game.
The strategy was designed to checkmate the enemy's advance.