checkmate
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic شَاه مَاتَ (šāh māta), from Classical Persian شاه مات (šāh māt, “the king [is] amazed”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Interjection[edit]
checkmate
- (chess) Word called out by the victor when making a move that wins the game.
- (by extension) Said when one has placed a person in a losing situation with no escape.
Alternative forms[edit]
Synonyms[edit]
- (chess): mate
Translations[edit]
said when making the conclusive move in chess
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Noun[edit]
checkmate (countable and uncountable, plural checkmates)
- The conclusive victory in a game of chess that occurs when an opponent's king is threatened with unavoidable capture.
- (figuratively, by extension) Any losing situation with no escape; utter defeat.
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
conclusive victory in a game of chess
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losing situation with no escape
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Verb[edit]
checkmate (third-person singular simple present checkmates, present participle checkmating, simple past and past participle checkmated)
- (transitive, chess) To put the king of an opponent into checkmate.
- That jerk checkmated me in four moves!
- (transitive, by extension) To place in a losing situation that has no escape.
Translations[edit]
to put an opponent into checkmate
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to lead to a situation of no escape
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Categories:
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