( US checker )
■ noun
1》 ( ~s ) a pattern of alternately coloured squares.
2》 ( checkers ) [treated as sing. ] N. Amer. the game of draughts.
↘( checker ) a piece used in this game.
■ verb
1》 divide into or mark with ~s.
2》 [as adjective ~ed ] marked by periods of fluctuating fortune: a ~ed career.
Origin
ME (in the sense 'chessboard', giving rise to ~ed meaning 'marked like a chessboard'): from ex~ .