checkered flag

noun

plural checkered flags

auto racing

: a flag marked by alternating black and white squares that is waved at the finish line to signal the end of a race

Driving with a clear head and a deft right foot rather than an anxious heart, he slid into the lead three laps from the checkered flag …

—Sam Moses

In one race weekend Andretti had run the gamut—he had been fast qualifier, he had driven at a steady pace in the first 11 hours and he had won a final, desperate sprint to the checkered flag.

—Kim Chapin

He took the checkered flag [=crossed the finish line in first place] at California Speedway on Sept. 4 to become the youngest driver in the 56-year history of the Cup series to win a race …

—Lars Anderson

Examples of checkered flag in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Richter was in both Blades Of Glory and Talladega Nights, which would explain the ice skate and checkered flag, and his sidekick work on the various Conan shows has placed him firmly in the path of all manner of celebrities. —Marah Eakin, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024

Your Top 10 following Stage 2: Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski, John Hunter Nemechek, William Byron, Daniel Hemric and Josh Berry. Stage 2 Lap 30: Denny Hamlin takes the green and white checkered flag and wins Stage 2! —Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2024

The Mini's cockpit is filled with funky details, like an enormous circular infotainment display and checkered flags incorporated into the speedometer. —Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 18 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above