noun

checker

A round playing piece used in checkers.

She moves a red checker diagonally across the board toward her opponent's pieces.

Etymology

The older word names a chessboard. The game played on a similarly patterned board took the name checkers, and an individual playing piece became a checker.

More examples

  • He jumps over one black checker.
  • The missing checker rolled under the table.
  • Each player arranges twelve checkers at the start.

Forms

checker · checkers

Similar words

pawn
A pawn is a particular chess piece; a checker is a playing piece used in checkers.