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check out — die (slang)

phrasal verbC2IELTS 8+informalrare

to die; to pass away (used informally or humorously, often to soften the topic or add a casual tone).

Say it like a native

Textbook He passed from this life last winter.

Native The old guy checked out last winter.

This sense is jokey/slang; 'passed from this life' is solemn-formal — the opposite tone.

Pattern: check out (no object); check out (of something)

In use

  • Sadly, the old actor checked out last night after a long illness.slang
  • While the phrase 'check out' can mean to leave a hotel, in informal contexts it is sometimes used as a euphemism for dying, though this usage is not suitable for academic writing.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ He checked out from cancer last year.

✓ He died of cancer last year. / He passed away last year.

'Check out' for dying is jokey slang; in a real or respectful context, use 'pass away'.

Common collocations

  • check out (die) — finally, for good, before his time

Don't confuse it

Unlike the B1 sense ('leave a hotel') and the B2 sense ('examine or look at'), this sense is a slang, figurative use meaning 'to die'. It does not involve physically leaving a place or examining something.

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