Meaning & Definition of Checkmate in English

Detailed Definitions

• Definition: The position in chess where a player's king is in check and there are no legal moves to escape the check.

  Example Sentence: He announced 'checkmate' after trapping his opponent's king.

• Definition: A situation in which someone is defeated or has no options left.

  Example Sentence: The negotiations reached a checkmate when neither side would compromise.

Etymology

Origin: Derived from the Persian phrase 'shāh māt', meaning 'the king is dead'.

Synonyms

Common Phrases and Expressions

• checkmate in 3: A chess strategy that results in checkmate in three moves.
• checkmate!: An exclamation used when defeating someone in chess or in a competitive situation.

Translations

• Spanish: jaque mate

• French: échec et mat

• German: Schachmatt

• Russian: шах и мат

Related Words

• check: A situation in chess where the king is under immediate threat.

• king: The most important piece in the game of chess.

Slang Meanings of checkmate

• Meaning: A term used to signify a decisive victory in any competition.

  Example Sentence: He scored the final point and it was total checkmate.

• Meaning: To be in an unbeatable or unavoidable situation.

  Example Sentence: After that last argument, she had him in checkmate.