# checkpoint

/ˈtʃɛkˌpɔɪnt/ (US) · /tʃˈɛkpɔɪnt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/checkpoint
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. inspection station

noun · CEFR B2

a place, usually on a road or border, where people are stopped so that police or soldiers can check them.

For teachers: a designated location, typically on a frontier or transit route, where travellers and vehicles are stopped for inspection or security clearance.

- The soldiers at the border checkpoint asked to see everyone's passports.
- The humanitarian convoy was delayed for several hours at a military checkpoint while officials verified the contents of each truck.

### 2. gaming save point

noun · CEFR B2

a place in a video game where your progress is saved automatically so you can start from there if you die.

For teachers: a predetermined location or milestone in a video game level that serves as a restart point for the player.

- I finally reached the checkpoint, so I don't have to restart the whole level.
- The game designers placed a checkpoint immediately before the boss fight to prevent player frustration during repeated attempts.

### 3. database recovery point

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a moment when a computer system saves its data so it can be fixed if the system crashes.

For teachers: 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.

- The system creates a checkpoint every hour to protect our work.
- By analyzing the transaction logs since the last checkpoint, the administrator was able to restore the database without any loss of integrity.

### 4. biological control

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a natural check in your body's cells that makes sure they are growing correctly.

For teachers: a regulatory mechanism within the cell cycle that monitors and verifies whether the processes at a specific phase have been accurately completed.

- If a cell fails a checkpoint, it might stop growing to prevent diseases like cancer.
- The G2 checkpoint prevents the cell from entering mitosis if the DNA is damaged or has not been completely replicated.

### 5. to save progress

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to save the current state of a computer program or game.

For teachers: to record the current state of a system or process to allow for future recovery or reference.

- The software will checkpoint your progress automatically every ten minutes.
- The algorithm is designed to checkpoint its state periodically during long-running simulations to mitigate the risk of hardware failure.

## Examples

- We waited at the security checkpoint for ten minutes.
- The driver showed his passport at the border checkpoint before driving into the country.
- After the server crashed, the administrator restored the database to the last known checkpoint to minimize data loss.

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