check

1 of 3

verb

ˈchek 

checked; checking; checks

transitive verb

1

a

: to inspect, examine, or look at appraisingly or appreciatively

—usually used with out or over

The doctors checked him over for injuries.

checking out new cars

And so no, I won't help you to find a way to check out women in front of your wife.

—Amy Dickinson

b

: to compare with a source, original, or authority : verify

needs to check her facts

c

: to look at (something) to obtain information

checking a watch to see the time

check a map/schedule

d

: to look or reach into (something) to find what is there

Harry glanced around at Fred, who was looking anxious and checking his pockets.

—J. K. Rowling

e

: to access (email, voice mail, etc.) to find out if there are messages

kept checking her voice mail throughout the day

f

: to mark with a check as examined, verified, or satisfactory

—often used with off

checked off each item

2

a

: to slow or bring to a stop : brake

hastily checked the impulse

b

: to block the progress of (someone, such as a hockey player)

3

: to leave or accept for safekeeping in a checkroom

check a coat

4

a

: to consign (something, such as luggage) to a common carrier from which one has purchased a passenger ticket

checked our bags before boarding

b

: to ship or accept for shipment under such a consignment

5

a

: to restrain or diminish the action or force of : control

tried to thwart or check our purposes in the legislature

b

: to slack or ease off (a rope) and then belay again

6

: to mark into squares : checker

check the cloth

7

: to put (a chess king) in check

8

: to make checks or chinks : cause to crack

the sun checks timber

9

chiefly dialectal : rebuke, reprimand

intransitive verb

1

a

: to investigate conditions

checked on the passengers' safety

b

: to prove to be consistent or truthful

The description checks with the photograph.

—often used with out

The story checked out.

c

: to look at or in something to see or find what is there

check for messages on a cell phone

2

a

of a dog : to stop in a chase especially when scent is lost

b

: to halt through caution, uncertainty, or fear : stop

The train checked with a jolt …

—B. A. Williams

3

: to draw a check on a bank

4

: to waive the right to initiate the betting in a round of poker

5

: crack, split

Drying wood can cause it to check.

check

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: examination

a quick check of the engine

b

: the act of testing or verifying

making a check on the data

also : the sample or unit used for testing or verifying

c

: inspection, investigation

a loyalty check on government employees

d

: a standard for testing and evaluation : criterion

2

: a written order directing a bank to pay money as instructed : draft

Do you want to pay in cash, by check, or by credit card?

3

: one that arrests, limits, or restrains : restraint

… against all checks, rebukes, and manners, I must advance …

—William Shakespeare

4

a

: a sudden stoppage of a forward course or progress : arrest

The outbreak of war in 1939 gave a sudden check to the sculptor's work.

—Herbert Read

b

: a checking of an opposing player (as in ice hockey)

5

: a sudden pause or break in a progression

the invaders coming in without a check

6

a

: a slip indicating the amount due : bill

Ask the waiter for the check.

b

: a ticket or token showing ownership or identity or indicating payment made

a baggage check

c

: a counter in various games

7

: a mark typically ✓ placed beside an item to show it has been noted, examined, or verified

8

: exposure of a chess king to an attack from which he must be protected or moved to safety

with his king in check

9

[Middle English chek, short for cheker checker]

a

: a pattern in squares that resembles a checkerboard

bordered her plain shower curtain with a check in coordinating bathroom colors

b

: a fabric woven or printed with such a design

Fashionable checks come in all sizes and colors in both twill and square weaves.

10

: crack, break

11

archaic : reprimand, rebuke

checkless

ˈchek-ləs 

adjective

check

3 of 3

interjection

—used to express assent or agreement

Phrases

check into

1

: to check in at

check into a hotel

2

: investigate

The police are checking into his alibi.

check that

informal

—used to take back or correct a previous statement

"Sir, I don't know why but there must be a foot or two of water coming down Claiborne. No, check that—three feet."

—Christopher Cooper and Robert Block

check up on

: investigate

check up on a possible investment

in check

: under restraint or control

trying to keep his emotions in check

Synonyms

Verb

• accord
• agree
• answer
• chord
• cohere
• coincide
• comport
• conform
• consist
• correspond
• dovetail
• fit
• go
• harmonize
• jibe
• rhyme
• rime
• sort
• square
• tally

Noun

• bill
• tab

Choose the Right Synonym for check

restrain, check, curb, bridle mean to hold back from or control in doing something.

restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes.

restrained themselves from laughing

check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus.

trying to check government spending

curb suggests an abrupt or drastic checking.

learn to curb your appetite

bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in.

bridle an impulse to throw the book down

Example Sentences

Verb

Make sure to check your spelling.

She checked her makeup in the mirror.

We should check the equipment to make sure that it's working properly.

The guards checked my passport.

He checked his watch and saw that it was almost noon.

I'll just check the map to see where we are.

I'll check the newspaper to see when the movie starts.

If you're looking for a spoon, check the top drawer.

I checked his office but he wasn't there.

If you're looking for the umbrella, check in the closet.

Noun

Please give the schedule a check to see if the times are correct.

I gave the ingredients list a quick check to see if the cereal contained any sugar.

She ran a quick check of the computer to make sure it was working properly.

The police ran a check on the license plate and found out that the car had been stolen.

He was penalized for an illegal check.

He made out the check to me and signed it, and I deposited it in my account.

Do you want to pay in cash, by check, or by credit card?

a fabric with a blue and yellow check

See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Evidence related to car: On Jan. 4, police who went to the Walshes’ home to conduct a well-being check noticed Brian Walshe’s Volvo parked with its seats down and a plastic liner visible in the back, Beland said. —John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Jan. 2023

Researchers then used data from the Environmental Protection Agency to check the air quality in the children’s city of residence on the date of their attacks. —Talis Shelbourne, Journal Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2023

There are a few ways to check your credit score for free. —Elizabeth Rivelli, Car and Driver, 18 Jan. 2023

Find the final BAFTA Awards predictions below (announcing Thursday, Jan. 19), and check back for the final Oscars predictions to drop on Thursday morning. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 Jan. 2023

The database police normally use to check registrations was not available on Saturday evening, Beech Grove Deputy Police Chief Robert Mercuri told The Washington Post. —Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2023

Find out below, and check back here through Feb. 2 as each position's top-10 list is revealed. —Michael Shapiro, Chron, 17 Jan. 2023

Their daughter stopped by to check on her mother, and found her semiconscious. —Ellen Barry, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2023

Without the ability to drive into the area, some residents have hiked to their properties to check on homes and neighbors. —Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2023

Noun

Members of the Taliban were able to temporarily subscribe to Twitter’s pay-for-verification feature, adding blue check marks to their accounts that appeared to confer a degree of legitimacy on the extremist regime. —Tori Otten, The New Republic, 17 Jan. 2023

Johnson's body was found during a welfare check at a Hampton Inn, located about 6.5 miles from his home, on the afternoon of July 17. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 11 Jan. 2023

Twitter began selling verification check marks for user accounts in November 2022. —Byrobert Kozinets, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2023

Twitter began selling verification check marks for user accounts in November 2022. —Jon Pfeiffer, The Conversation, 4 Jan. 2023

Instantly, the post was flooded with fans and followers shooting their shots–including a bunch of blue check marks, too. —Amanda Curran, Glamour, 31 Dec. 2022

The discovery was made during a routine cell check about 2:50 p.m., said Sgt. —Carol Robinson | [e-mail], al, 27 Dec. 2022

Musk has said that within the next several months, Twitter will remove all legacy verified check-marks — so that eventually only paying customers will be verified. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 Dec. 2022

Are your eyes glazing over trying to figure out what all these different colored check marks mean? —Reece Rogers, WIRED, 14 Dec. 2022

See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English chek, from Anglo-French eschec, from Arabic shāh, from Persian, literally, king; akin to Greek ktasthai to acquire, Sanskrit kṣatra dominion

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 7

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 8

Interjection

1922, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing check

• blank check company
• back-check
• certified check
• body check
• cashier's check
• bum check
• blank check
• check it out
• check in with
• check in
• check back with
• check back
• check mark
• check on
• check off on
• check out
• check through
• coat check
• coat-check/hat-check girl
• check valve
• cross-check
• counter check
• double check
• cut a check
• fact-check
• hook check
• gut check
• keep/hold in check
• keep a close check on
• perpetual check
• pick up the tab/bill/check
• sound check
• shepherd's check
• put a check on
• rain check
• reality check
• spot-check
• check over
• check/take/feel someone's pulse
• spell check
• traveler's check
• name check
• rubber check
• bed check
• check off
• check box
• security check
• check up on
• in check
• check into
• check that

See More

• blank check company
• back-check
• certified check
• body check
• cashier's check
• bum check
• blank check
• check it out
• check in with
• check in
• check back with
• check back
• check mark
• check on
• check off on
• check out
• check through
• coat check
• coat-check/hat-check girl
• check valve
• cross-check
• counter check
• double check
• cut a check
• fact-check
• hook check
• gut check
• keep/hold in check
• keep a close check on
• perpetual check
• pick up the tab/bill/check
• sound check
• shepherd's check
• put a check on
• rain check
• reality check
• spot-check
• check over
• check/take/feel someone's pulse
• spell check
• traveler's check
• name check
• rubber check
• bed check
• check off
• check box
• security check
• check up on
• in check
• check into
• check that

See More

Kids Definition

check

1 of 2 noun

ˈchek 

1

: the exposing of a chess king to attack

2

: a sudden stopping of progress

3

: something that delays, stops, or holds back : restraint

4

: examination sense 1, investigation

5

: a written order telling a bank to pay out money from a person's or company's account to the one named on the order

pay a bill by check

cash a check

6

a

: a ticket or token that shows that the bearer has a claim to something

a baggage check

b

: a slip of paper showing the amount due : bill

7

a

: a pattern of squares

b

: a fabric with such a design

8

: a mark ✓ placed beside an item to show it has been noted

check

2 of 2 verb

1

: to put a chess king in check

2

a

: to bring to a stop

to check an impulse

b

: to come to a stop

3

: to hold back : restrain, curb

checked her temper

4

a

: to make sure that something is correct or satisfactory

check your blood pressure

check it out with a teacher

b

: to inspect, examine, or look at

checking out new cars

checked over the damage

5

: to mark with a check

check the first item

6

: to mark with squares : checker

7

: to leave or accept for safekeeping or for shipment

check baggage

8

: to be the same on every point : tally

Legal Definition

check

noun

1

: something that limits or restrains see also checks and balances

2

: a written order signed by its maker directing a bank to pay a specified sum to a named person or to that person's order on demand see also negotiable instrument compare draft

— bank check

: a check drawn by a bank on its deposits in another bank

— cashier's check

: a check drawn by a bank on its own funds and signed by the cashier or another bank official

— certified check

: a check certified to be good by the bank upon which it is drawn by the signature of usually the cashier or paying teller with the word certified or accepted across the face of the check

— NSF check Not Sufficient Funds

: a check drawn on an account with insufficient funds from which to make payment