Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

check

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing.These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are morefrequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun British English pronunciation: check /tʃek/ 
Word Forms
Close
singularcheck
pluralchecks
 
  1. 1
    [countable] an examination of something to find out whether it is as it should be
    check for:

    a check for spelling errors

    check on:

    They do routine checks on the condition of the planes.

    make a check:

    He made a final check of the doors to be sure they were locked.

    do a check:

    They’ll be doing a sound check before the concert.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  checkThesaurus entry for this meaning of check
    1. a.
      an examination of someone to find out whether they are healthy
      check for:

      a routine check for skin cancer

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  checkThesaurus entry for this meaning of check
    2. b.
      an examination by the police, army etc of an area, or people or vehicles passing through an area, in order to be certain that there is no danger or illegal activity

      Airport police confirmed that the courier had managed to pass through the security check.

      check on:

      They run a police check on all applicants for a gun licence.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  checkThesaurus entry for this meaning of check
    See also  spot check
  2. 2
    [countable] something that controls another thing and stops it from becoming worse, too powerful etc
    check on:

    Economic forces act as a check on political power.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  checkThesaurus entry for this meaning of check
  3. 3
    [countable/uncountable] a pattern of squares, usually of two colours

    a sheet with red and white checks

    He was wearing a check shirt.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  checkThesaurus entry for this meaning of check
  5. 5
    [countable] American the bill in a restaurant

    How much is the check?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  checkThesaurus entry for this meaning of check

phrase

This is the British English definition of check. View American English definition of check.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

showmance

a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

slime

a thick, wet, unpleasant substance that covers something

Open Dictionary

human-readable

able to be read and understood by people

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog