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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of checkmate
Dan Pompei, The Athletic, 26 Aug. 2024
In the last episode, Mya checkmated Tommy with one simple question and has proven her wisdom in the pretrial phase.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 July 2024
WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
And Callaghan made the two moves that put Canada in checkmate.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2023
See all Example Sentences for checkmate 
Verb
Brown checkmates most defensive backs and should still post big numbers if Philly’s offense runs smoothly.
—Dan Pompei, The Athletic, 26 Aug. 2024
In the last episode, Mya checkmated Tommy with one simple question and has proven her wisdom in the pretrial phase.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 July 2024
Noun
Chess grandmasters have, in various epochs, played all the way through to the checkmate, rather than ending the game when an opponent resigns early to save face.
—WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
And Callaghan made the two moves that put Canada in checkmate.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2023
See all Example Sentences for checkmate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for checkmate
Verb
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When UConn hosted Creighton – which is now in what seems to be a two-horse race with St. John’s for the Big East regular season title – Hurley was frustrated with his team’s defense and its tenacity on the backboards.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
10 Feb. 2025
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In fact, Kansas Republicans were frustrated by Washington infighting over the new president's agenda.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Citing a need to send a strong message of deterrence to other police officers, and noting the racial aspects of a case involving a White officer and Black victim, Houston sentenced LaRoche to 15 months in federal prison, nearly double what prosecutors recommended.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Feb. 2025
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That deterrence failed spectacularly on October 7, 2023.—
Jane Harman,
TIME,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While its future hangs in the balance, Republicans have additional plans to thwart it.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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But his progress was thwarted in bizarre circumstances, relating to a break-in at his home a few weeks earlier.—
Oliver Kay,
The Athletic,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, she was baffled by the woman's insistence and entitlement.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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The surprising source of the repeating burst has baffled astronomers, who haven't considered that regions in which no stars are forming could produce such a radio flare.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Twenty-three years later, Uvalde proved that the priority must still be placed upon neutralization, regardless of equipment, armor and personnel training.—
Ryan Maxin,
Austin American-Statesman,
18 Jan. 2024
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Specialist incident response providers can also assist in areas beyond the immediate neutralization of the attack, such as root cause analysis, to identify how the adversaries compromised your organization.—
Robert Harrison,
Forbes,
25 Oct. 2024
Verb
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In response, Israel has resolved that Hamas and other extremist factions must be not just deterred but decisively defeated.—
Jane Harman,
TIME,
9 Feb. 2025
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Netanyahu meanwhile is under heavy pressure from his far-right political allies to resume the war after the first phase so that Hamas, which carried out the deadliest attack on Israelis in their history, can be defeated.—
Tia Goldenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Getting the longest of those delays can hamper any chance of beating Tyson in the first round.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
9 Feb. 2025
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Experts in workplace safety have warned that could inhibit them from speaking up about health threats on the job, hampering efforts to stop hazards and illnesses.—
Emily Alpert Reyes,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That makes jury sympathy or nullification more likely.—
Erin Keller,
Newsweek,
27 Dec. 2024
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Carter’s Civil Aeronautics Board Example Conscious nullification was uppermost in mind when the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 shuttered the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr.,
Forbes,
30 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Checkmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/checkmate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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