checkpoint
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a place, usually on a road or border, where people are stopped so that police or soldiers can check them.
n.a designated location, typically on a frontier or transit route, where travellers and vehicles are stopped for inspection or security clearance.
Simple“The soldiers at the border checkpoint asked to see everyone's passports.”
In context“The humanitarian convoy was delayed for several hours at a military checkpoint while officials verified the contents of each truck.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a place in a video game where your progress is saved automatically so you can start from there if you die.
n.a predetermined location or milestone in a video game level that serves as a restart point for the player.
Simple“I finally reached the checkpoint, so I don't have to restart the whole level.”
In context“The game designers placed a checkpoint immediately before the boss fight to prevent player frustration during repeated attempts.”
Synonymssave point - 03 C1 Advanced
n.a moment when a computer system saves its data so it can be fixed if the system crashes.
n.a point in time at which the state of a database is verified as valid, allowing for restoration in the event of a system failure.
Simple“The system creates a checkpoint every hour to protect our work.”
In context“By analyzing the transaction logs since the last checkpoint, the administrator was able to restore the database without any loss of integrity.”
Synonymsbackup point - 04 C1 Advanced
n.a natural check in your body's cells that makes sure they are growing correctly.
n.a regulatory mechanism within the cell cycle that monitors and verifies whether the processes at a specific phase have been accurately completed.
Simple“If a cell fails a checkpoint, it might stop growing to prevent diseases like cancer.”
In context“The G2 checkpoint prevents the cell from entering mitosis if the DNA is damaged or has not been completely replicated.”
Synonymscontrol mechanism - 05 C1 Advanced
v.to save the current state of a computer program or game.
v.to record the current state of a system or process to allow for future recovery or reference.
Simple“The software will checkpoint your progress automatically every ten minutes.”
In context“The algorithm is designed to checkpoint its state periodically during long-running simulations to mitigate the risk of hardware failure.”
“They are believed to have chosen the mountainous route to avoid security checkpoints.”
“A Reuters witness saw reinforced security near the border, including police vans with wire shields and road checkpoints.”
From check + point.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.