Oxford Dictionary English

    checkmate

    noun
    noun
    BrE BrE//ˌtʃekˈmeɪt//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˌtʃekˈmeɪt//
    ; BrE BrE//ˈtʃekmeɪt//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˈtʃekmeɪt//
    (also mate) [uncountable] Board games
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  1. 1(in chess) a position in which one player cannot prevent his or her king (= the most important piece) being captured and therefore loses the game see also check compare stalemate See related entries: Board games
  2. 2a situation in which somebody has been completely defeated
    3.  Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic šāh māta, from Persian šāh māt ‘the king is dead’.
See checkmate in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: checkmate
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