checkroom

IPA/ˈtʃekruːm/
IPA/ˈtʃekruːm/

checkroom — noun

  • checkroomsingular
  • checkroomsplural

1. an attended room or counter at a public venue where staff hold visitors' jackets

1.nounC1
Definition

an attended room or counter at a public venue where staff hold visitors' jackets, bags, or parcels and return them later

Example

Christopher handed his backpack to the checkroom clerk before the concert.

hand + item + to the checkroom clerk

At the museum checkroom, Tamar received a numbered tag for her suitcase.

numbered tag for later retrieval

Common collocations
  • checkroom clerk
  • checkroom counter
  • checkroom tag
  • checkroom window
  • leave something at the checkroom
  • pick something up from the checkroom
Synonyms
  • coatroom

    close American equivalent, often focused more on coats and umbrellas

  • cloakroom

    standard British term for the same service; in American English it can also mean a public toilet

  • left-luggage office

    used especially at stations for larger bags, often for longer than a short visit

Grammar Patterns

leave + something + at the checkroom

pick + something + up from the checkroom

Usage Note

Common in North American English. The service may be a full room or just a staffed counter, and it often handles bags or parcels as well as coats.

Common Mistakes

I changed my clothes in the checkroom.
I changed my clothes in the changing room.
a checkroom is for leaving things, not for getting dressed.
We stored the boxes in the checkroom all winter.
We stored the boxes in the storeroom all winter.
a checkroom is for short-term use in a public place, not long-term storage.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Checkroom' is the most general North American word for a staffed place where visitors leave coats, bags, or parcels for a short time and receive them again later. 'Coatroom' often refers to nearly the same service, but it suggests coats and umbrellas more strongly and is especially common in theaters, museums, and restaurants. 'Left-luggage office' is mainly used in stations or travel centers and usually deals with larger suitcases, sometimes for several hours rather than for a single event. If you are talking about a concert hall or museum, 'checkroom' works well; if you mean a train station service for travelers' bags, 'left-luggage office' is more exact.

checkroom ↗coatroom ↗left-luggage office

Common collocations

Nouns

  • checkroom clerk
  • checkroom counter
  • checkroom tag
  • checkroom window

Phrases

  • leave something at the checkroom
  • pick something up from the checkroom
  • wait at the checkroom

Prepositions

  • at the checkroom
  • from the checkroom
  • in the checkroom

Etymology

EnglishAmerican English

Built in American English from 'check' and 'room'. Here 'check' means handing something over for temporary care and collecting it again later, so the compound names the room or counter that provides that service.