name-check

1 of 2

noun

ˈnām-ˌchek 

variants or namecheck or name check

plural name-checks or namechecks or name checks

: a specific and usually public mention or acknowledgment of someone or something by name

It's not surprising that Chekhov gets a namecheck in Marion Bridge, which is playing in a superbly performed production through Aug. 25 at Hudson Village Theatre … . That Chekhov nod comes from boozy, disillusioned actress Agnes (Leni Parker), whose unsuccessful career has included appearing in plays by the Russian master …

—Jim Burke

[Marianne] Williamson began giving her talks in 1983 at the Philosophical Research Society on Los Feliz Boulevard (the nonprofit, which gets a name-check in McWilliam's chapter on the abundant flowering of Southern California occultism, is still in operation).

—Julia Wick

name-check

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly namecheck

name-checked also namechecked; name-checking also namechecking; name-checks also namechecks

transitive verb

: to mention or acknowledge (someone or something) specifically and publicly by name

… he is an avid collector of contemporary art, although he alone turns the pursuit to his singular ends in lyrics that knowingly name-check everyone from Jeff Koons to Jean-Michel Basquiat.

—Guy Trebay

"… I couldn't wait that long for another box of Shipley's," he said, name-checking the local doughnut shop that catered the event.

—Mara Gay

Last year, the show's fans successfully petitioned for McDonald's to bring back its limited-edition Szechuan sauce from 1998 after it was namechecked in an episode.

—Luke Morgan Britton

Examples of name-check in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Short and gamine, he name-checks influencer Niamh Adkins as someone who makes the mixie cut look great. —Hannah Coates, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2023

She name-checks Chris Blackwell of Island Records for having come to one of her sets and quickly deciding to produce her work. —Peter Marks, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023

Baker also name-checks Zegna and Brunello as other go-tos. —Max Berlinger, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2023

Some of the popular brands the recruits name-check include Kendra Scott, Steve Madden and fast-fashion favorite Shein. —Allison Armijo Los Angeles Times (tns), al, 18 Aug. 2023

This fan favorite is replete with British place-specific name-checks, shipping forecast allusions, soaring choruses, and an epic Coxon guitar solo. —Jonathan Cohen, Spin, 9 Aug. 2023

King name-checks niacinamide, zinc, and green tea extract for their oil control benefits. —Lindy Segal, Harper's BAZAAR, 29 June 2023

Now, Swift gets a name-check in Fall Out Boy’s smart cover of the song released Wednesday (June 28). —Paul Grein, Billboard, 28 June 2023

Rhythm and blues had always referenced highways and trains (even that dark Faust of the Delta blues, Robert Johnson, name-checks Greyhound buses and Terraplane cars), but Berry was the first person to give it a pop art twist. —Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 4 May 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1972, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1986, in the meaning defined above