checkout
checkout — noun
- checkoutsingular
- checkoutsplural
1. a designated counter or section inside a store — most often a supermarket — wher
a designated counter or section inside a store — most often a supermarket — where shoppers line up to have their purchases totalled and to hand over payment
Yuki unloaded her shopping cart onto the checkout belt while the cashier scanned each item.
collocation: checkout belt
The supermarket opened four new checkout lanes to handle the lunchtime rush.
collocation: checkout lanes
Simon realised he had forgotten his wallet only when he reached the checkout.
collocation: reach the checkout
A long queue had formed at every checkout, so Kwame decided to come back later.
- checkout belt
- checkout lane
- checkout counter
- at the checkout
- through the checkout
Grammar Patterns
the checkout
at the checkout
checkout counter
Usage Note
Commonly modified by nouns specifying the shop type: 'grocery checkout', 'supermarket checkout'. The compound 'checkout counter' is also very frequent.
Common Mistakes
2. the stage of an online purchase where a customer enters their delivery address,
the stage of an online purchase where a customer enters their delivery address, chooses a shipping method, and makes payment to complete the order
Ananya added a discount code at checkout and saved fifteen percent on her total.
preposition: at checkout
The website kept crashing every time Javier tried to reach the checkout page.
collocation: checkout page
Many shoppers abandon their carts during checkout if the shipping fees are too high.
Clara chose the express checkout option so her order would be processed faster.
collocation: express checkout
- at checkout
- checkout page
- checkout process
- express checkout
- guest checkout
- payment page
focuses specifically on the payment step rather than the full process
- order review
emphasises the step where customers check what they are buying
Grammar Patterns
at checkout
go to checkout
checkout page
the checkout process
Usage Note
Often used without an article in phrases like 'at checkout' or 'during checkout'. 'Checkout' as an uncountable noun refers to the whole process.
Common Mistakes
3. the fixed time by which guests must leave their hotel room and settle any outsta
the fixed time by which guests must leave their hotel room and settle any outstanding charges, often around midday
The hotel receptionist reminded everyone that checkout is at eleven o'clock in the morning.
pattern: checkout is at [time]
Nadia asked for a late checkout so she could enjoy the pool for a few more hours.
collocation: late checkout
The Park family was charged an extra fee because they did not vacate the room before the standard checkout time.
collocation: checkout time
Deepak left his luggage at the front desk after checkout and went sightseeing for the afternoon.
- checkout time
- late checkout
- at checkout
- checkout is at
- before checkout
- departure time
more general; used for flights, trains, and hotels alike
- check-in
the arrival process at a hotel
Grammar Patterns
checkout time
at checkout
checkout is at/by [time]
Usage Note
Often paired with 'late checkout' (a service that lets guests stay longer for an extra fee). 'Checkout' without an article refers to the general rule or process.
checkout — verb
- checkoutpresent simple I / you / we / they
- checkouts3rd person singular
- checkouting-ing form
- checkoutedpast simple
1. to leave a hotel or other accommodation after paying the bill and returning the
to leave a hotel or other accommodation after paying the bill and returning the key to the reception desk
Elena checked out of the hotel before sunrise to catch her six o'clock flight.
pattern: check out of [hotel]
Guests must check out by midday or the hotel will charge for an extra night.
Jun checked out and handed the room key to the woman at the front desk.
We need to check out early tomorrow because our train leaves at eight.
adverb collocation: check out early
After checking out, Lucia stored her bags in the hotel's luggage room.
pattern: after checking out
- check out of
- check out early
- check out by [time]
- check out of a hotel
- check in
to register upon arrival at a hotel
Grammar Patterns
check out
check out of [hotel/room]
Usage Note
The phrasal verb 'check out' is always intransitive in hotel contexts. Use 'check out of + [place]' when specifying the location.
Common Mistakes
2. (informal slang) to die; to stop living, especially suddenly or as if one has fi
(informal slang) to die; to stop living, especially suddenly or as if one has finished with life like ending a hotel stay
The old gangster had been unwell for weeks before he finally checked out.
slang register: check out = die
When Ibrahim heard that his childhood neighbour had checked out at ninety-three, he smiled at the long life.
The novel's main character checks out peacefully in his sleep after a lifetime of adventure.
The old neighbour's cat checked out at seventeen, having lived a long and contented life.
informal: check out = die (animals too)
- finally checked out
- checked out for good
- pass away
formal and respectful euphemism
- kick the bucket
equally informal but more humorous
- buy the farm
American military slang, very informal
Grammar Patterns
check out
check out of [life/world]
Usage Note
Highly informal and somewhat dated. Avoid in formal writing or serious conversation — use 'pass away' or 'die' instead. Often carries a light-hearted or blunt tone.
Common Mistakes
3. to go through the payment process for goods you are purchasing, so that a cashie
to go through the payment process for goods you are purchasing, so that a cashier or machine calculates the total and you hand over money or card details; commonly done at a self-service shop or supermarket
Mei-Lin checked out her groceries at the self-service machine because the staffed lanes were too busy.
transitive: check out + [items]
A cashier at the supermarket checked out Chen's shopping basket and packed the fruit and bread into reusable bags.
transitive: check out + [items] for scanning and bagging
Siti checked out and paid with her phone, so she did not need to carry cash.
intransitive: check out + pay
The cashier checked out each item quickly and placed them into paper bags.
transitive: cashier checks out items
- check out [items]
- check out at [store]
- check out with [method]
Grammar Patterns
check out [items]
check out with [payment method]
check out at [store]
Usage Note
Can be used transitively (check out + the items) or intransitively (check out and leave).
Common Mistakes
4. to complete all the necessary steps in order to borrow something or take it away
to complete all the necessary steps in order to borrow something or take it away permanently, especially a library book, a piece of equipment, or a rented item
The librarian checked out three history books to Amara after scanning her student card.
pattern: check out [item] to [person]
All tools from the workshop must be checked out through the online inventory system.
passive: be checked out through [system]
The security guard asked to see the receipt before letting anyone check out expensive equipment.
Leo had five books checked out from the city library, and two of them were already overdue.
state: have [items] checked out
You can check out your books at the library desk or use the automated station near the entrance.
pattern: check out [items] at [place]
- check out [item] to [person]
- be checked out
- have [items] checked out
- check equipment out
Grammar Patterns
check [item] out
check out [item] to [person]
be checked out
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 3 (PAY AT STORE): sense 3 covers paying for purchases at a shop. This sense covers borrowing items such as library books or rental equipment — the item's departure is logged in a system and no money is exchanged for the item itself. Often passive ('is checked out').
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
These words all refer to the payment area or process in a shop, but they highlight different parts. 'Checkout' is the broadest term — it describes the whole counter or area where customers pay, especially in supermarkets and large stores. 'Till' (chiefly British) refers to the cash drawer and the machine that holds it; you might say 'put it through the till' but not 'stand in the till queue' — you stand in the 'checkout queue'. 'Register' (American English) similarly points to the machine itself rather than the location; a store might have ten registers but only six checkout lanes open. 'Cashier' is the person behind the checkout, never the place. For example: 'The cashier at register four asked me to move my items to the next checkout lane.'
Common collocations
Etymology
The noun 'checkout' comes from the phrasal verb 'check out', which began appearing in the early 1900s. 'Check' in this sense traces back to the idea of verifying or recording something against a list — originally from the game of chess, where 'check' meant 'to stop or control the opponent's king'. By the mid–20th century, 'check out' had acquired its modern retail and hotel meanings, and the one-word compound 'checkout' emerged to name the location and process.
First known use
1933
1933, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb