checkpoint

noun

check·​point ˈchek-ˌpȯint How to pronounce checkpoint (audio)
: a point at which a check is performed
vehicles were inspected at various checkpoints

Examples of checkpoint in a Sentence

Our car was stopped at a police checkpoint before we were permitted to cross the border.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For weeks, federal agents and local police set up checkpoints across the city, spurring protests. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025 In 2007, when Wasefi was eight, an aunt brought him to Kabul — 16 hours away by bus, past many military checkpoints — and enrolled him at the Afghan Children’s Education and Care Organization (AFCECO), a refuge for orphans and children from distant provinces. Vidushi Mishti Sharma, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025 Also on the hilltop, archaeologists identified a palace-like structure and extensive defensive structures, including walls and checkpoints at strategic locations, officials said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025 His detention began in November, 2024, at a checkpoint on Salah al-Din Street. Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for checkpoint

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of checkpoint was in 1926

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Checkpoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/checkpoint. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

checkpoint

noun
check·​point ˈchek-ˌpȯint How to pronounce checkpoint (audio)
: a point at which a check is carried out
vehicles were inspected at different checkpoints

Legal Definition

checkpoint

noun
check·​point
: a point at which an inspection or investigation is performed
a checkpoint to uncover drunk drivers

More from Merriam-Webster on checkpoint

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!