checkout

checkout — noun

1. a designated area in a retail shop, usually near the door, with a till or card m

1.nounB1
Definition

a designated area in a retail shop, usually near the door, with a till or card machine where shoppers line up and settle the cost of their selected goods before leaving

Example

Leila stood in the checkout line with a basket full of vegetables and rice.

collocation: checkout line / stand in the checkout

The new self-service checkout at the shop can scan items and take card payments.

compound: self-service checkout

Common collocations
  • stand in the checkout
  • go through the checkout
  • checkout counter
  • checkout line
  • self-service checkout
  • supermarket checkout
  • wait at the checkout
Synonyms
  • till

    British English term for the checkout counter or cash register

  • cash register

    the machine that records sales, not the area itself

  • payment counter

    a more formal, less common term

Usage Note

Often used in compound nouns such as checkout counter, checkout line, and self-service checkout. In British English, a checkout may also be called a till.

Common Mistakes

I went to the check out to pay.
I went to the checkout to pay.
The noun checkout is written as one word, not two.
Please go to the cashier checkout' (redundant).
Please go to the checkout.
Checkout already implies the payment area; cashier is unnecessary.

2. the section of an online store where a buyer enters their delivery details and c

2.nounB1
Definition

the section of an online store where a buyer enters their delivery details and confirms the payment to complete a purchase

Example

Yusuf added two books to his cart and clicked on checkout to pay.

collocation: click on checkout

The website's checkout page asks for your address and card number.

compound: checkout page

Common collocations
  • go to checkout
  • complete the checkout
  • checkout page
  • checkout process
  • checkout button
  • proceed to checkout
  • start the checkout
Synonyms
  • payment page

    focuses on the payment step rather than the full ordering process

  • order review

    the step just before payment where you check your items

Usage Note

When referring to the interface element, it often appears without the article: go to checkout. The checkout process typically includes reviewing the cart, entering a shipping address, selecting a payment method, and confirming the order.

Common Mistakes

I cannot find the check out button.
I cannot find the checkout button.
When used as a noun modifier, checkout stays as one word.
Click the checkout to add items to your cart.
Click add to cart, then go to checkout to pay.
Checkout is where you pay, not where you add items.

3. the set time in the morning or early afternoon by which hotel guests are expecte

3.nounB1
Definition

the set time in the morning or early afternoon by which hotel guests are expected to leave their room and settle the bill before ending their stay

Example

Checkout at the Grand Hotel is at eleven o'clock in the morning.

collocation: checkout is at [time]

Theo paid his bill at the hotel checkout before taking a taxi to the airport.

Common collocations
  • checkout time
  • late checkout
  • hotel checkout
  • before checkout
  • after checkout
  • checkout is at
  • checkout deadline
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • check-in

    the arrival and registration process at a hotel

Usage Note

Frequently used in the noun phrases late checkout (an extended checkout time) and checkout time (the official deadline). Distinguish from check-in, which is the arrival process at the beginning of a hotel stay.

Common Mistakes

The check out time is 11 AM.
The checkout time is 11 AM.
The noun form is written as one word.
We need to check out before checkout time.
We need to leave the hotel before checkout time.
Check out (verb) and checkout (noun) have different functions. Avoid using the verb form when you need the noun form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Checkout (noun/1) refers to the whole area in a shop where customers line up and pay. Till is the British term for the cash register itself — you would say 'please pay at the till', not 'please pay at the checkout'. Cash register highlights the machine that records and stores money, not the counter or queue area. Payment counter is a more formal, less common expression found in larger stores or official signage. In everyday conversation, most English speakers use checkout for the area and till (UK) or register (US) for the machine. For example: 'I left my shopping at the checkout' (correct) vs 'I left my shopping at the cash register' (odd, because the register is just the machine).

checkout ↗till ↗cash registerpayment counter

Common collocations

Nouns

  • checkout time
  • checkout counter
  • checkout page
  • checkout process
  • checkout button
  • checkout line

Phrases

  • late checkout
  • self-service checkout
  • proceed to checkout

Prepositions

  • at the checkout
  • through the checkout
  • before checkout

Etymology

English

Checkout is formed from the verb phrase check out, which originally meant 'to verify or record'. The hotel sense emerged around the 1920s, referring to the time when guests settle their bill and leave. The supermarket sense followed in the 1940s as self-service stores became widespread and needed a dedicated payment area. The online shopping sense developed in the late 1990s with the growth of e-commerce websites.