What does "chess" mean?
A board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to checkmate the opposing king.
Chess
/t͡ʃɛs/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to checkmate the opposing king.
- Grammar: chess is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: archery, association football, backgammon, badminton.
- Useful contrasts: chance game, literal language, plain language.
- Usage evidence: Robert got the better of Jack in the game of chess.
How to use "chess"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chess" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chess" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chess" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chess" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chess" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "archery" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chess", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to checkmate the opposing king. uncountable, usually
"At the tender age of 20, Penguingm1 is already one of the best hyperbullet and ultrabullet chess players in the world."
- 2 Any of several species of grass in the genus Bromus, generally considered weeds. US
"Hobbled, loudly gourmandizing the dry chess grass, they were guarded by a pair of dismounted soldiers in long, dusty coats [...]."
- 3 One of the platforms, consisting of two or more planks dowelled together, for the flooring of a temporary military bridge. in-plural
"the balks are laid and covered with chesses to within 1 foot of the trestle"
- 4 a board game for two players who move their 16 pieces according to specific rules; the object is to checkmate the opponent's king wordnet
- 5 weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A river in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, England, which joins the Colne at Rickmansworth.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
chance gameliteral languageplain languagerandom game
Example
"Robert got the better of Jack in the game of chess."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chess"?
Common synonyms include: archery, association football, backgammon, badminton, bagatelle, ball.
How do you use "chess" in a sentence?
Robert got the better of Jack in the game of chess.
How do you pronounce "chess"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃɛs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English ches, chesse, from Old French eschés, plural of eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king [in chess]”), from Classical Persian شاه (šāh, “shah, king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /šāh/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /xšāyaθiya/). Compare German Schach and Italian scacchi. Compare French échecs (“chess”) and its descendants: Catalan escacs and Dutch schaak. More at check and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”).
Etymology 2
Uncertain; perhaps linked to Etymology 1, above, from the sense of being arranged in rows or lines.
Etymology 3
Compare French châssis (“a framework of carpentry”).
Etymology 4
The river name is a back-formation from Chesham, a town at the head of the river.