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• 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.

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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)

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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 .

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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

Americans are on their phones all the time and send trillions of text messages every year, so why did we stop calling each other to just check in?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Police later said they could not provide dedicated officers, but would send mobile patrols to "check in and monitor the event".

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Howell, who is visiting from Virginia, hadn’t heard about Disney deploying the technology to check in parkgoers until he arrived at the park that day.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

There was daycare for the children of visitors, and much fun was made of the fact that when you left your child at the Children’s Building, you received a claim check in return.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson