HI Allan, to check out doesn't really mean the same as find. To check out has several meanings. 1- to check out of a hotel - you already know this. 2- to find out information about someone or something to make sure that everything is fine, or to ascertain that a story is true or correct. So if you "checked out" a teacher on italki, you would find out more about them, check that their qualifications are genuine etc. If someone makes a complaint to the police, they have to "check it out", or investigate it to find out if the complaint is likely to be true and if it needs further action. I hope that helps

hi Allen, "check out" is an odd expression when used to mean "look at". It can mean "look at that beautiful man/woman" or "look at that great restaurant" etc so not really "search" in that context.