checkmate

Universal Words (also mate) noun [U] 1 (in the game of CHESS) a position in which one player cannot prevent his or her king (= the most important piece) being captured and therefore loses the game seealsoCHECK compareSTALEMATE 2 a situation in which sb has been completely defeated checkmate (also mate) verb: [VN] His king had been checkmated. * She hoped the plan would checkmate her opponents.