checked

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of check.

   The mechanic checked the brakes and found a slow leak.

   Every bag is checked at the entrance for safety.

   Note

   A regular past that is pronounced as one syllable, ending in a plain t sound, never 'check-ed.' One form serves the past tense, the perfect and the passive. It carries every meaning of the verb: inspected, verified, ticked off a list, held back, even scolded. It is also where the adjectives come from: a bag checked at the desk becomes checked baggage, and a sum checked over becomes a verified figure.

2. 2
   adjectiveCanadaUS

   Marked with a pattern of squares or crossed lines; checkered.

   A checked tablecloth covered the long picnic bench.

   He pulled on his old checked jacket before heading out.

   Similarplaid

   Note

   A North American usage, at home in Canada and the US, and above all a word for clothing: a checked tie, a checked suit, red and white checked overalls. The colors come first and the garment last. George Johnston's Skyscrapers in the Mist (1946) gives it its classic outfit, a 'long, scraggy individual in a checked suit.' Checkered names the same pattern and can stand in for it.

3. 3
   adjective

   Verified or confirmed as correct or valid.

   The checked figures matched the original report exactly.

   Auditors will accept only checked records for the year-end review.

   Similarverified, confirmed, validated

   Oppositeunverified, unconfirmed

4. 4
   adjective

   Handed over to an airline, train line, or ferry at check-in to be stored in the hold, out of the passenger's reach during the journey.

   Like cargo stowed in a hold you can't open until the trip ends.

   Passengers retrieved their checked luggage at the baggage claim downstairs.

   The airline lost a checked bag and offered a small payment in return.

   Oppositecarry-on

   Note

   The traveler's word comes straight from check-in, the desk where the bag changes hands. It pairs with bag, baggage and luggage, and its everyday opposite is carry-on, the bag that stays with you in the cabin. It is not limited to flying: trains and ferries check baggage too, and the same word covers them.

5. 5
   adjective

   Of a square in a crossword grid, forming part of both an across answer and a down answer.

   A well-designed grid keeps most of its cells checked for solvers.

   She filled the checked letters first and used them to crack the harder clues.

   Note

   A setter's term with a useful opposite. An unchecked square belongs to only one answer, so its letter rests on a single clue. A checked square can be confirmed from two directions at once. That is why solvers fill these squares first and lean on them when the harder clues resist.

6. 6
   adjective

   Of a syllable, ending in one or more consonants: that is, having a coda.

   In this dialect, a checked syllable carries a noticeably shorter vowel.

   The analysis counted every checked syllable in the recorded passage.

   Similarclosed

   Oppositeopen

   Note

   Phonology uses this word for two different things, and the noun tells you which. With syllable it means closed by a consonant. With consonant it means the glottalized sense. A checked syllable stands against an open one, which ends in a vowel. The difference often governs vowel length, and in many languages it governs tone as well.

7. 7
   adjective

   Of a consonant, produced with closure or constriction of the glottis; glottalized.

   The fieldworker transcribed each checked consonant with a special mark.

   A checked stop can sound almost like a small catch in the breath.

   Note

   Here the point is the glottis. Ejectives and implosives are typical examples, made with the vocal folds closed or tightened as the consonant is formed. They contrast with plain pulmonic consonants, which are driven only by air from the lungs. Glottalized is the label you will meet alongside it, and the two can be used interchangeably for this sense.

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