# checker

/ˈtʃɛkɝ/ (US) · /tʃˈɛkɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/checker
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. a person who verifies

noun · CEFR B1

someone whose job is to check or verify that something is correct.

For teachers: an individual responsible for inspecting, verifying, or auditing something for accuracy or quality.

- The quality checker looked at every phone before it left the factory.
- The final safety checker signed off on the documents only after confirming that every protocol had been strictly followed by the engineering team.

### 2. a cashier

noun · CEFR B1 · American English

the person at a supermarket who scans your items and takes your money.

For teachers: a retail clerk who tallies the cost of purchases and processes customer payments at a checkout counter.

- The checker at the grocery store was very fast and friendly.
- The supermarket hired additional checkers to handle the surge of customers during the holiday shopping season.

### 3. a pattern

noun · CEFR B2

a pattern of squares in alternating colours, like a chessboard.

For teachers: a pattern consisting of alternating squares of different colours or textures.

- The floor was covered in a black and white checker pattern.
- The designer chose a subtle checker motif for the upholstery to provide visual interest without overwhelming the room's minimalist aesthetic.

### 4. a game piece

noun · CEFR B1 · American English

a flat, round piece used in the game of checkers.

For teachers: a flat, circular piece used in the board game of checkers, known as draughts in British English.

- He moved his red checker across the board to jump over his opponent.
- By the end of the game, she had only one kinged checker remaining on the board.

### 5. to mark with squares

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to mark something with a pattern of squares.

For teachers: to mark or decorate a surface with a pattern of alternating colours or squares.

- The sunlight through the leaves started to checker the forest floor.
- Late afternoon shadows began to checker the courtyard, creating a rhythmic play of light and dark across the ancient stones.

## Examples

- I always use a spell checker before I send an email.
- The grocery store hired an extra checker to help manage the long lines during the holiday rush.
- While an automated grammar checker can identify surface-level errors, it often fails to grasp the subtle nuances of tone and style that a human editor would catch immediately.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.