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
Heather Abbott, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
In the end, that proves to be the winning play, letting the voices of Michele, Tveit and Christopher carry the show to a triumphant checkmate.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 17 Nov. 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
And then in the third round of chess – checkmate.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
In the end, that proves to be the winning play, letting the voices of Michele, Tveit and Christopher carry the show to a triumphant checkmate.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for checkmate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for checkmate
Verb
-
So if you’re frustrated by high streaming fees, this merger is a nightmare.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Trump’s war with Iran, attacks on Pope Leo XIV, and a Jesus meme have frustrated some young conservatives, including longtime supporters who question his focus.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Their true deterrence is their ability to close the Strait of Hormuz and choke off 20% of the world’s energy supply.—
Donald Heflin,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Western policymakers tend to focus narrowly on missiles, sanctions, and deterrence.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Time,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In an arrest affidavit, investigators said Victor Lee Hawkins, 20, armed with two semiautomatic handguns, walked into the lobby of the school that afternoon, told everyone to hit the ground and tried to shoot one student but was thwarted by a malfunctioning weapon.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The Australian actor, 31, stars in the new horror movie as Arthur, who re-creates and uploads videos of the kills shown in the titular 1978 film (once widely believed to be an actual snuff film), opposite Barbie Ferreira, who plays a content moderator trying to thwart him.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The thwarting of the Charlotte Hornets, one of the NBA’s fastest squads, is the quintessential White play.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
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
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Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price rises, have been baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the price spike is global and due to the conflict in the Middle East that has restricted oil exports.—
Brian Melley,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
This baffles and outrages Angela, a protective mom who, with other parents, pushes back against Gabor using her math classroom as a forum for introducing the outside world’s worst actions.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The team’s approach is based on a basic chemistry principle called neutralization.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Caroline Spadorcia went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI as Archbishop Williams (4-3) defeated Latin Academy, 6-3.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Hamadeh was elected to a reliably red West Valley district in 2024 after being defeated by Mayes in 2022.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
17 Apr. 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 20 Apr. 2026.
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