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Glite Dictionary
📱 To ask briefly 🛎️ To register arrival
to check in

to check in

202 2.7
To contact someone briefly to see how they are
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈtʃɛk ɪn/
translation icon : interesarse por
  • Could you check in with me after your meeting to see how it went?
  • check in with students
  • check in regularly
  • check in with members

Fingers crossed we'll check in in a few hours from now.

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Examples

  • The mentors checked in with the new SETs to gauge their needs and well-being.

    Academic text (2014)

  • I just thought I'd check in to see how the Bradshaw's going.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • So that guy's going, we'll check in on him a little bit later.

  • Do you want to check in with your mom on this or...

    HIM (2025)

  • Look, just check in with me.

    Knox Goes Away (2024)

  • I will check in with you later.

    John, 316 (2021)

  • Maybe you should check in here for a few days and get a handle on things?

    Fiction book (1991)

  • It's been a while, so I thought I would check in on you and Gosling.

  • And I'll call and check in, see how you're doing.

  • I like to check in on my grandparents regularly to see how they are doing.

Synonyms

to reach out
vsto check in
338 2.7

To contact someone to offer help or support

is a brief contact asking about wellbeing rather than offering help
to get in touch
vsto check in
155 2.3

Contact someone after not talking for a while

is brief contact to ask about wellbeing rather than to reconnect after a gap
to ask after
vsto check in
  • UK
9 3.3

Ask how someone is and about their health

is a brief direct contact rather than a longer inquiry

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

How Closely

to monitor
627 3.5
to check in
202 2.7
to touch base
14 3.5

Surface Forms

check in infinitive
checked in past
checked in past participle
checking in present participle
checks in third person singular

Morphology

check + in

The sense 'to contact someone briefly to ask about their well‑being' can be reasonably inferred from 'check' (to verify/inspect) combined with the particle 'in' (into/within), giving a notion of verifying someone's status, so learners who know the words will often guess the general idea. However, this is a phrasal verb with pragmatic nuances (also meaning 'register at a hotel' or 'give a brief update') and the exact interpersonal use is somewhat idiomatic and variable across languages, so it is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Check in comes from the image of briefly looking in on someone to see they are okay, where you check and you look in. So check in means 'to contact someone briefly to ask how they are'.