Jump to:

• check-in
  check-in

  noun

  the act or fact of checking in.
• check in
  check in

  verb

  (intr) to record one's arrival, as at a hotel or for work; sign in or report

check-in

American  

[chek-in] / ˈtʃɛkˌɪn /

noun

1. the act or fact of checking in.

---

check in British  

verb

1. (intr) to record one's arrival, as at a hotel or for work; sign in or report

2. (tr) to register the arrival of (passengers, etc)

---

noun

1. 1. the formal registration of arrival, as at an airport or a hotel

   2. ( as modifier )

      check-in time

2. the place where one registers arrival at an airport, etc

check in Idioms  

1. Record one's arrival at a hotel, conference, or other function, as in I asked the hotel if we could check in early . [Early 1900s] Also see check into , def. 2.

2. Die, as in With the plane rapidly losing fuel, the pilot was sure he'd check in . [ Slang ; early 1900s] Also see check out .

---

Etymology

Origin of check-in

First recorded in 1915–20; noun use of verb phrase check in

Example Sentences

Defender Dan Burn spoke to BBC Sport about the work being done and how important it is to "check in".

From BBC • May 11, 2026

Considering all this—and as I was in town for a local footrace—I decided to check in on Boston’s huge, below-the-radar money world.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

If you’re an artificial-intelligence startup or investor in China, you can check in but you can’t check out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

She got a check in the mail for a class-action settlement and cashed it.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

From the veranda above them, Lillian called down to her husband, “When are you going to check in at the base, sugah?”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy