check out

British  

verb

1. (intr) to pay the bill and depart, esp from a hotel

2. (intr) to depart from a place; record one's departure from work

3. to investigate or prove to be in order after investigation

   the police checked out all the statements

   their credentials checked out

4. informal (tr) to have a look at; inspect

   check out the wally in the pink shirt

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noun

1. 1. the latest time for vacating a room in a hotel, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      checkout time

2. a counter, esp in a supermarket, where customers pay

check out Idioms  

1. Record one's departure from a hotel by paying the bill, or from a conference or other function, as in As soon as my bags are packed I'll check out of the motel . [Early 1900s]

2. Leave hurriedly, make a quick exit, as in The minute I get paid I'm checking out . [ Slang ; 1920s]

3. Die, as in When he got cholera, he was sure he'd check out . [ Slang ; 1920s]

4. Withdraw an item after recording the withdrawal, as in I'll check out the tapes on your library card . [1930s]

5. Record, total the prices, and receive payment for a purchase, as in The cashier checked out and bagged my groceries in record time .

6. . Investigate or evaluate something or someone; observe carefully. For example, I don't know if you'll like the film; check it out yourself , or That man who's staring is probably just checking us out . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

7. Pass close inspection, as in That rattle made me suspicious, but the repairman said the machine checked out completely .

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Example Sentences

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

Break Room 86 doesn’t open until 9 p.m., so check out Openaire for a sunset dinner.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Chatting with a stranger at a farmers market led me to check out a new running shoe that her daughter’s company had just introduced.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

If you are looking for a riskier bet with a bigger yield, check out Bank of Nova Scotia, commonly known as Scotiabank.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

The motel clerk didn’t have any string, but told them to check out by the fence around the pool, where guests sometimes tied up their dogs.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• inspect
• investigate