Check out versus Checkout – What’s the Gist?
Check out and checkout appear to be one and the same word, but one is a verb and the other is a noun. You can look at how the word is being used in order to know which word is appropriate to use.
- Check out is a verb phrase.
- Checkout can function as a noun or adjective.
How to Use Check out in a Sentence
Check out definition: Check out typically has one of two meanings. In some instances, it may mean that you have gone through the act of signing for something. In other cases, one observes or checks out a person or a happening.
For example,
- Will checked out books from the library. (Will signed for the books that he borrowed at the library.)
- I promised to check out my surroundings while walking through the parking lot at night. (I said I would be observant of what was around me.)
In both instances, an action is taking place, but the exact action is different.
How to Use Checkout in a Sentence
Checkout definition: Checkout is somewhat different; it can be used as a noun or an adjective.
Use checkout when you are speaking of a designated time to leave a place of lodging or a line in a supermarket or grocery store.
For example,
- The grocery store checkouts at Wal-Mart are notoriously slow. (noun)
- The checkout time at the Monteleone Hotel is 11:00 a.m. sharp. (adjective)
Check out and checkout are often confused due to the fact that their only difference is the spacing of their letters (check out is two words while checkout is one). However, using the words in context can pinpoint which word you should use in a sentence.
Outside Examples of Check out and Checkout
- It says it also hopes to reach shoppers earlier, not just when they are paying at checkout. Washington Post
- Picked-over shelves, full parking lots and long checkout lines: We’ve all been there. Grocery shopping around the holidays can be a hassle. Chicago Tribunes
- So you’ve checked out the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive upon the Clog’s recommendations and discovered your new love for museum.. Chicago Tribune
- “12 Pop, Rock, and Jazz Concerts to Check Out in N.Y.C. this Weekend” (article title). New York Times
Phrases that Use Check out and Checkout
Likely you have used the words “checkout” and “check out” many times over your lifetime. You typically understand what someone else is trying to convey when they use the word “checkout,” but checkout and check out have two separate meanings.
Car enthusiasts might encourage a fellow hobbyist to “check out” an antique car that has been fully restored. This is the active use of the term.
Certainly, anyone who has ever stayed in paid lodgings understands what a “checkout” time is. Most hotels and motels do require people to “check out” by a certain time or pay for another day’s lodgings. Depending on how one uses “checkout,” it could be a noun or an adjective.
How to Remember These Words
Because checkout and check out are different only in the spacing of a word, they are often confused by even native English speakers.
Perhaps you can remember that at a supermarket checkout, there is often just one person running each lane. Checkout here is a noun, and it is one word. One person – one checkout – one word.
Check out is a verb, and, in correct form, it is two words. You might tell a friend to check out something of interest, such as a movie or binge-worthy television series on Netflix.
For example,
- You should check out Breaking Bad on Netflix; it is well-written and interesting.
In that instance, you are telling a friend to do something.
Article Summary
Is checkout or check out correct? These two words are almost identical in spelling and in pronunciation, so it is important to determine how you’re going to use the word in question in order to be correct.
- Checkout refers to the place where someone goes in a supermarket to purchase items (noun).
- Checkout can also be used as an adjective when you use it to describe the time one must leave lodgings such as a hotel.
- Check out is a verb; it is a directive to either observe someone or something. It can also refer to the act of signing out a piece of property such as a book or a periodical.