variants
or namecheck
or name check
plural name-checks or namechecks or name checks
: a specific and usually public mention or acknowledgment of someone or something by name
It's not surprising that Chekhov gets a namecheck in Marion Bridge, which is playing in a superbly performed production through Aug. 25 at Hudson Village Theatre … . That Chekhov nod comes from boozy, disillusioned actress Agnes (Leni Parker), whose unsuccessful career has included appearing in plays by the Russian master …—Jim Burke
[Marianne] Williamson began giving her talks in 1983 at the Philosophical Research Society on Los Feliz Boulevard (the nonprofit, which gets a name-check in McWilliam's chapter on the abundant flowering of Southern California occultism, is still in operation).—Julia Wick
variants
or less commonly namecheck
name-checked also namechecked; name-checking also namechecking; name-checks also namechecks
: to mention or acknowledge (someone or something) specifically and publicly by name
… he is an avid collector of contemporary art, although he alone turns the pursuit to his singular ends in lyrics that knowingly name-check everyone from Jeff Koons to Jean-Michel Basquiat.—Guy Trebay
"… I couldn't wait that long for another box of Shipley's," he said, name-checking the local doughnut shop that catered the event.—Mara Gay
Last year, the show's fans successfully petitioned for McDonald's to bring back its limited-edition Szechuan sauce from 1998 after it was namechecked in an episode.—Luke Morgan Britton
Cite this Entry
“Name-check.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/name-check. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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