in check

Idioms  

1. Restrained from moving or acting; under control. For example, The first division held the enemy in check, or Mary kept her emotions in check. This term replaced at check and out of check, which date from the mid-1500s.

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Example Sentences

Golden State’s Kaila Charles and Gabby Williams kept Plum mostly in check, holding her to a season-low nine points after her career-high 43-point game in Phoenix on Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026

Some economists expected the central bank to retain such language in Wednesday’s decision, like in April, as a way to keep inflation expectations in check.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

The central bank hiked rates by 0.5 basis points to 5.25 percent last month -- the first increase in two years -- as it looked to stabilise the rupiah and keep inflation in check.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

What worries researchers is not that the district is hot, but that it is becoming hotter, for longer, in a landscape losing the trees and water that once helped keep temperatures in check.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

I stand here, trying to keep my facial expressions in check.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• discreet
• laid-back
• mild
• muted
• reasonable
• reticent
• subdued
• tasteful
• unobtrusive