check in

present singular third person checks in · participle present checking in · participle past checked in · past checked in

1. To announce or record one's own arrival at a hotel, airport etc.

   We got to the hotel last night and checked in at the front desk.

2. To verify a person's information and record their arrival, such as at a hotel, airport, etc.

   The clerk checked us in at the front desk.

   Antonyms: check out

3. To contact another person in order to keep the other person informed of one's situation.

   Kelly has to check in with her parole officer today.

   2 more examples

   During the 2 minutes of music, students first PAUSE to check in with how they are feeling.

   2016, Carla Tantillo Philibert, Everyday SEL in Elementary School, →ISBN

   15-year-old Kayla Berg spent the afternoon of August 11, 2009, with her friend, Natasha, the same way she did most of that summer. That afternoon, she checked in with her mother, Hope Sprenger, and explained she was with her best friend, Natasha and would be heading over to her father’s place later.

   2026 July 27, Nicholas Muhoro, “The Disappearance of Kayla Berg and the Condemned House Where Her Trail Ended”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 28 Jul 2026

4. transitiveTo return (a book to a library, source code to a repository, etc.).
5. To visit in order to see how someone is doing.

   I just wanted to check in after your accident. How are you recovering?

   1 more example

   The sequel checks in with the unmoored but largely lovable characters from the first movie as they face middle age.

   2017 January 26, Christopher D. Shea, “‘T2 Trainspotting’: The Early Reviews”, in New York Time

6. intransitiveslangTo enter solitary confinement at one's own request for protection from other prisoners.

   If an authority exists other than that of the pigs, gay victims of homophobia will not have to check in (into protective custody).

   1980 February 16, Ed Mead, “untitled”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 29, page 8

7. slangtransitiveTo send somebody to solitary confinement; to make somebody be admitted to solitary confinement.

   Synonyms: send up top

8. computingTo integrate new revisions into the public or master version of a file in a version control system.

   Synonyms: commit

9. Netherlandsintransitivenon-native speakers' Englishto tap on, to touch in, to tap in (to use a smartcard to start a public transport journey)

   You can check in and check out with a contactless debit card or credit card. Registering in advance is not necessary.

   2025, “How can you pay on our public transport?”, in gvb.nl, Amsterdam Municipal Transport Company, retrieved 13 Jun 2025

   2 more examples

   So how exactly does checking in work? When boarding the bus, tram, metro or train, hold the OV-chipkaart (or your debit card, smartphone, or wearable if using OVPay) in front of the screen of a post or gate. It will indicate with a green light and a beep that the anonymous OV-chipkaart has been read.

   2025, “Paying for public transport in the Netherlands”, in Holland.com, Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions, retrieved 13 Jun 2025

   Hold your OV-chipkaart against the card reader to the right of the gate. This will both open the gate for you and check you in for your journey. You will hear one beep when you check in.

   2025, “Checking in and out”, in ns.nl, Dutch Railways, archived from the original on 13 Jun 2025, retrieved 13 Jun 2025