checkpoint

noun

check·​point ˈchek-ˌpȯint 

: 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

They were turned back at a Syrian government checkpoint and with nowhere to go, returned to Roj camp. —Jane Arraf, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026

The movement of the Blackfoot between their ancestral land in the US and Canada, once fluid and frequent, is now restrained by paperwork and the limited operating hours of the more rural checkpoints along the border. —Karen Gardiner, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026

Roads were nearly empty, checkpoints were set up at major arteries and a two-day public holiday kept residents indoors. —Nbc News, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026

This effectively means going into areas, setting up checkpoints, and making sure that there are no armed non-state actors in administrative Beirut. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for checkpoint

• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint
• viewpoint

Kids Definition

checkpoint

noun

check·​point ˈchek-ˌpȯint 

: 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