checkmating

verb

present participle of checkmate
as in frustrating
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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of checkmating In the event’s final game, Nakamura caught headlines by theatrically throwing reigning Classical world champion Gukesh Dommaraju’s king into the crowd after checkmating him. — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for checkmating
  1. frustrating
  2. thwarting
  3. hampering
  4. baffling
  5. defeating
  6. preventing
  7. stopping
Verb
  • But Algo’s hyper-logical, computerised process of consistently picking the favourites to win was undone in the second match of the day, with Ghana frustrating England in a 0-0 draw.
    — The Athletic Soccer Experts, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • The documentary’s contradiction is right there, enthralling us with the wild achievements Potter pulled off and frustrating us with his bombast, leading us to ponder whether, as The Dark Wizard suggests, either could exist without the other.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 May 2026
Definition of frustrating
Verb
  • Some blame the Big Ten and SEC for thwarting the legislation.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 20 July 2026
  • Even with a broken right ring finger, 33-year-old Emiliano Martinez kept thwarting the Spaniards.
    — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 20 July 2026
Definition of thwarting
Verb
  • Yet Cruz sees no time to waste, as non-revenue-generating sports continue to fold at universities big and small, hampering US competitiveness in Olympic sports.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 20 July 2026
  • Because the injection must then be sent (or pushed) to each specific target, the scale of the attack is limited, hampering mass exploits that hit the Internet at large.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026
Definition of hampering
Verb
  • Despite some protests about a dog contributing to the game, Buddy — clad in a bright blue jersey and two pairs of basketball kicks — scores baffling basket after baffling basket, leaving the other team shocked.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • While Loathe’s baffling compositional choices may jump out first, the album’s most glaring flaw is its production.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of baffling
Verb
  • Green Bay’s odds of defeating the Bears in its Wild Game were at 96% with 5 minutes left, yet the Packers lost all three of those games.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • But there was another prophecy, and this one said that Odysseus must leave Ithaca again after defeating his enemies.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
Definition of defeating
Verb
  • This significant and unexpected drop in Chinese demand freed up those barrels to go elsewhere, preventing the kind of shortage that might have led to truly catastrophic prices.
    — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
  • Public health and environmental experts told The Associated Press the coming weeks are critical to preventing secondary crises caused by contaminants from the rubble and rebuilding.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of preventing
Verb
  • Nets, Disruptions, and Camouflage Close reading, however, reveals a few telling details about what the Pentagon views as best practices for stopping and killing drones.
    — Zita Ballinger Fletcher, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • Defeat technologies are an essential piece in the kill chain, as detection is only the first step to stopping the threat.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
Definition of stopping

Browse Nearby Words

checkmates
checkmating
check (off)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Checkmating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/checkmating. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on checkmating

Nglish: Translation of checkmating for Spanish Speakers

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