as in to frustrate
to prevent from achieving a goal
finally checkmated the billionaire in his attempt to take over the movie studio
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deterrence
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of checkmate
Ayah Imran, Freep.com, 17 July 2025
Del Norte High’s chess team members have increasingly declared checkmate against their opponents, with the team capturing a third-place regional tournament award just four years after it was formed.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
In that case, however, Anand managed to secure a checkmate after 29 days of play.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for checkmate
Verb
Losing a game of chess is never fun; however, setting aflame a custom wax king piece when checkmated is losing with style.
—Ayah Imran, Freep.com, 17 July 2025
Del Norte High’s chess team members have increasingly declared checkmate against their opponents, with the team capturing a third-place regional tournament award just four years after it was formed.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
Noun
Yes, the Phils nabbed a checkmate closer (Jhoan Duran).
—Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
In that case, however, Anand managed to secure a checkmate after 29 days of play.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for checkmate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for checkmate
Verb
-
Fans are entitled to want to be entertained, and to be frustrated that the European campaign has been a struggle, as well as by the problems Palace have endured when confronted by 10 men on several occasions of late.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Were there any points when reading the script that you were frustrated with her for not questioning him at all?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The horses help with search and rescues, crowd control, law enforcement, crime deterrence and more.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
However, Japan’s decision to equip its ships with long-range missiles signals its broader effort to strengthen deterrence and maintain a credible counterstrike capability in the event of a potential attack.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The failure to thwart the 2001 terrorist attacks drove the federal government to take over airport security from private companies and create the Transportation Security Administration.—
Kelly Yamanouchi,
AJC.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Both remind me of Ray’s leads, who sense that they’re being thwarted or not meeting expectations, but seem unable or unwilling to resolve anything.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The council keeps losing court battles on issues ranging from its Voter ID law to its efforts to censor library books to its thwarting of state housing laws.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This inversion explains a host of baffling political and cultural phenomena of late.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
On Sunday, Roan responded on Instagram, seemingly baffled by the swirling controversy.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Soko has developed specific products for this problem, including SuperCast, which completes the neutralization of the oxidizing agents, removes the residues and eliminates yellowing.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Researchers revealed that the high-voltage output facilitates the neutralization and collection of dust and moisture by generating negative ions.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Argyle defeated Abilene Wylie 2-0 on Friday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
-
And the Marlins would defeat one of the worst teams in the history of baseball, the Colorado Rockies, 2-1.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 27,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That said, the good outweighs the baffling.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Checkmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/checkmate. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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