check vs check out

check

verb
  • To inspect; to examine. 

  • To leave with a shipping agent for shipping. 

  • To verify the accuracy of a text or translation, usually making some corrections (proofread) or many (copyedit). 

  • To turn, when in pursuit of proper game, and fly after other birds. 

  • To pass or bounce the ball to an opponent from behind the three-point line and have the opponent pass or bounce it back to start play. 

  • To make a move which puts an adversary's king in check; to put in check. 

  • To crack or gape open, as wood in drying; or to crack in small checks, as varnish, paint, etc. 

  • To disrupt another player with the stick or body to obtain possession of the ball or puck. 

  • To chide, rebuke, or reprove. 

  • To announce that one is remaining in a hand without betting. 

  • To verify or compare with a source of information. 

  • To leave in safekeeping. 

  • To control, limit, or halt. 

  • To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for keeping or removal or that have been dealt with (for example, completed or verified as correct or satisfactory). 

  • To slack or ease off, as a brace which is too stiffly extended. 

  • To make checks or chinks in; to cause to crack. 

  • To act as a curb or restraint. 

  • To make a stop; to pause; with at. 

  • To mark with a check pattern. 

noun
  • The forsaking by a hawk of its proper game to follow other birds. 

  • A maneuver performed by a player to take another player out of the play. 

  • Any fabric woven with such a pattern. 

  • A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece. 

  • A mark (especially a checkmark: ✓) used as an indicator. 

  • A bill, particularly in a restaurant. 

  • A control; a limit or stop. 

  • An inspection or examination. 

  • A small chink or crack. 

  • A lengthwise separation through the growth rings in wood. 

  • An order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity. 

  • A mark, certificate, or token by which errors may be prevented, or a thing or person may be identified. 

  • A pattern made up of a grid of squares of alternating colors; a checkered pattern. 

  • A token used instead of cash in gaming machines, or in gambling generally. 

adj
  • Divided into small squares (chequers) by transverse vertical and horizontal lines. 

check out

verb
  • To examine, inspect, look at closely, ogle; to investigate; to gather information so as to make a decision. 

  • To die. 

  • To obtain (source code or other material) from a repository so that one can modify it and later check it back in. 

  • To prove (after an investigation) to be the case, or to be in order. 

  • To visit the oche for the last time and clear one's remaining points to win the game. 

  • To record (someone) as leaving the premises or as taking something therefrom, as from a library or shop. 

  • To become uninterested in an activity and cease to participate in more than a perfunctory manner; to become uncooperative. 

  • To withdraw (an item), as from a library, and have the withdrawal recorded. 

  • To leave in a hurry. 

  • To confirm and pay for goods and services at a facility (e.g.: supermarket, online store, hotel) when leaving. 

  • To become catatonic or otherwise nonresponsive. 

How often have the words check and check out occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )