Meaning trap
check out
die (slang)
to die; to pass away (used informally or humorously, often to soften the topic or add a casual tone).
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to die; to pass away (used informally or humorously, often to soften the topic or add a casual tone).
'check out' also has the more basic meaning 'leave a hotel'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- 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
Fix the pattern
Pattern: check out (no object); check out (of something)
WrongHe checked out from cancer last year.
RightHe 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'.
Patterncheck out (no object); check out (of something)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
This sense is jokey/slang; 'passed from this life' is solemn-formal — the opposite tone.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
check out (die)finallyfor goodbefore 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.
Related
- check out (leave a hotel) — 'check out' also has the more basic meaning 'leave a hotel'; this is the advanced sense.