Skip to main content
to check off

to check off

15 2.5
Mark an item on a list to show it is done
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈtʃɛk ɔf/
translation icon : marcar
  • Please check off what you want for the coming weeks, okay?
  • check off an item
  • checked off each step
  • check off every task

And it's not like we're checking off like anxiety check, PTSD check.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Nora kept a list by the phone and checked off the names as they called.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Tomorrow I can go to school and check off each boy on the list as I see him.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • So go through and see how many of those things check off for you or somebody else.

  • I would, I would check off a a number of these laws that you mentioned.

  • I just check off the ones I can do... like this one here.

  • Go ahead and check off anything that you think... ...you might want to improve on just a little bit.

  • Okay, check off four more weeks very carefully.

  • At the end of every minute, the observer checks off whether or not the child was on task.

    Academic text (1999)
  • I checked off every name on the shuttle's certified list.

  • After finishing each task, I check off the items on my to-do list to keep track of my progress.

Synonyms

to check
vsto check off
  • US
1.0

Mark a box to show it is chosen or finished

focuses on marking list items generally rather than only boxes
to mark
vsto check off
192 1.0

Make a visible line, spot, or sign on a surface

is used specifically for list items to show completion or verification
to tick
vsto check off
  • UK
50 2.0

To mark a box with a check to show it is chosen or complete

is used more generally to mark list items not only boxes
to cross off
vsto check off
35 1.8

To draw a line through an item on a list to show it is finished

marks items to show completion without striking them out
to tick off
vsto check off
  • UK
4 3.7

Mark something with a check to show it is done

is broader, used to show completion, verification, or selection
to mark off
vsto check off
1 3.2

To put a line or tick next to an item to show it is finished

is used to show list items are completed, dealt with, or verified
to chalk off
vsto check off
  • UK
6.5

To mark an item as finished by drawing a line or writing a note

is more about indicating completion on a list rather than crossing it out

How Checked

to cross off
35 1.8
to mark off
1 3.2
to check off
15 2.5
tick
  • UK
8 1.0
to mark
192 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

check + off

The meaning 'to mark an item on a list as completed or verified' is directly derivable from combining 'check' (to mark/tick) with the particle 'off' (indicating completion/removal). This phrasal-verb composition follows a common and predictable pattern in English (and parallels exist in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely understand it.

Etymology

The phrasal verb check off comes from using a list: you put a check mark next to an item and mark it off the list when it is done. So, check off means 'to mark something as completed or checked'.