checkmate

verb

/ˌtʃekˈmeɪt/, /ˈtʃekmeɪt/

(also mate)

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they checkmate	/ˌtʃekˈmeɪt/, /ˈtʃekmeɪt/ /ˌtʃekˈmeɪt/, /ˈtʃekmeɪt/
he / she / it checkmates	/ˌtʃekˈmeɪts/, /ˈtʃekmeɪts/ /ˌtʃekˈmeɪts/, /ˈtʃekmeɪts/
past simple checkmated	/ˌtʃekˈmeɪtɪd/, /ˈtʃekmeɪtɪd/ /ˌtʃekˈmeɪtɪd/, /ˈtʃekmeɪtɪd/
past participle checkmated	/ˌtʃekˈmeɪtɪd/, /ˈtʃekmeɪtɪd/ /ˌtʃekˈmeɪtɪd/, /ˈtʃekmeɪtɪd/
-ing form checkmating	/ˌtʃekˈmeɪtɪŋ/, /ˈtʃekmeɪtɪŋ/ /ˌtʃekˈmeɪtɪŋ/, /ˈtʃekmeɪtɪŋ/

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checkmate somebody/something (in chess) to put your opponent in a position in which they cannot prevent their king (= the most important piece) being captured and therefore lose the game
- His king had been checkmated.
to defeat somebody completely
- She hoped the plan would checkmate her opponents.

noun

/ˌtʃekˈmeɪt/, /ˈtʃekmeɪt/

(also mate)

[uncountable, countable]

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(in chess) a position in which one player cannot prevent their king (= the most important piece) being captured and therefore loses the game see also check compare stalemate
a situation in which somebody has been completely defeated

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic šāh māta, from Persian šāh māt ‘the king is dead’.