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
Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
Now, it might just be checkmate for the TrackPoint.
—Allison Johnson, The Verge, 7 Jan. 2025
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 May 2025
In the second, Eze again ceded the advantage, but ruthlessly capitalised on a costly blunder with a rapid-fire checkmate to seal the win and the tournament.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for checkmate
Verb
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
Now, it might just be checkmate for the TrackPoint.
—Allison Johnson, The Verge, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
In that case, however, Anand managed to secure a checkmate after 29 days of play.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 May 2025
In the second, Eze again ceded the advantage, but ruthlessly capitalised on a costly blunder with a rapid-fire checkmate to seal the win and the tournament.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for checkmate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for checkmate
Verb
-
But now concerns have grown and even some of the airline’s most loyal customers are frustrated after the carrier rolled out a new boarding process to pair with the policy change.—
Dallas Morning News,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The two upperclassmen used contrasting styles to frustrate TCU defensively.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Besides the pledge to increase defense spending, the defense chiefs said their countries are taking concrete steps to improve readiness and deterrence, with Britian building six new munitions factories and Germany repositioning troops near its eastern border.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Nuclear deterrence is set to be a hot topic at the conference.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the 27th minute, diving to his left to thwart Juninho Vieira.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ statement came ahead of William’s three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, which kicked off on Monday—likely in an attempt to thwart any questions about the issue while the future king is abroad.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Patagonia’s proprietary synthetic fill imitates down’s structure by spinning air-trapping microfilaments around a central fiber and requires fewer stabilizing seams and baffles than down.—
Kelly Bastone,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Even Proctor’s defense attorney seemed baffled by the district attorney’s office’s handling of the case.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 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
-
The Magic rallied from 17 points down to win 120-117, but the Jazz defeated the Heat 115-111.—
Mark Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Cyclones, who are 13-0 at Hilton Coliseum this season, have defeated the Jayhawks three straight years in the building.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That said, the good outweighs the baffling.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
18 Feb. 2026
-
This mounting deficit has hampered planning in San Diego ever since.—
Nico Calavita,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Checkmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/checkmate. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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