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

Over a beat that blends classic boom-bap with hazy, droning synths and sultry keys reminiscent of the G-funk heyday, Snoop delivers a characteristically cool verse that name-checks a bunch of his fellow Golden State hip-hop pioneers. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2024

There was no ingratiation, no name-check for the local pols. —Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024

Discussing his entertainment idols, Cera fittingly name-checks actor-turned-filmmaker Michael Showalter. —Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024

Collins name-checks Hollywood legends Steve McQueen and James Dean adopting, and fueling, the rugged look’s ongoing popularity. —Fawnia Soo Hoo, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2024

Some users, but not all, name-check BDS and direct followers to its website, despite largely not coordinating with its leadership. —Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1972, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1986, in the meaning defined above