What does checked mean?
'Checked' is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'check', one of the most versatile verbs in English. At its core, checking means examining something carefully to confirm its accuracy, condition, or safety — whether verifying figures in a spreadsheet, testing that a door is locked, or confirming facts before publication. The word also carries the sense of stopping or restraining something, as when enthusiasm or aggression is 'kept in check'. In travel contexts, 'checked' refers to luggage handed over to be stored in an aircraft's hold rather than carried on board. As an adjective, 'checked' describes fabrics or surfaces decorated with a pattern of intersecting lines forming squares, as in a checked shirt or tablecloth. The word's roots reach back to chess, deriving ultimately from the Persian word for king, giving this everyday term a surprisingly regal history.
Past tense and past participle of 'check': examined or verified something; stopped or restrained something; handed over luggage for storage.
"The accountant checked every entry in the ledger."
Standard in both British and American English; fully regular conjugation.
Having a pattern of squares formed by crossing lines of different colours.
"He spread a checked blanket over the picnic table."
British English also uses 'chequered'; American English strongly prefers 'checked'.
Every time you say a plan is 'checked', you're borrowing from chess — where 'check' comes from the Persian 'shah', the word for king.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of checked
'Checked' derives from the verb 'check', which entered Middle English in the late medieval period through Old French 'eschec', itself borrowed from the Persian 'shah' (king) via Arabic — originally used in the exclamation 'check!' in chess, warning that the king was under threat. From this sense of a sudden halt came the broader meanings of restraint and verification, which developed by the sixteenth century. The adjective describing square patterns arose from the appearance of a chessboard. Cognates include 'chess', 'exchequer', and 'checkmate', all tracing back to the same Persian root.
Related word forms
How checked is actually used
As a verb form, 'checked' is neutral in register and common in both everyday speech and formal writing. As an adjective describing fabric patterns, it is more common in British English than the alternative 'chequered' is in American English. In North American usage, 'checked baggage' is the standard term for luggage stored in an aircraft's hold.
Easily confused with checked
'Chequered' is simply the British spelling of the same adjective describing a squared pattern, while 'checked' is the standard spelling in both British and American English for the past form of the verb.