to check off
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to check off
To mark something on a list with a check mark or another mark to show that it has been completed or checked.
Ich muss noch die letzten Punkte auf meiner To-do-Liste abhaken.
I still have to check off the last items on my to-do list.
'Abhaken' (to check off) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab' comes at the end in a main clause, but stays attached to the verb in a subordinate clause. In the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' comes between 'ab' and 'haken'.
Er hakt den letzten Punkt auf der Liste ab.
He checks off the last item on the list.
The verb is made up of 'ab' and 'haken'. 'Haken' comes from 'der Haken' (check mark/hook). Literally, it means to put a check mark next to something in order to mark it as done.
Kannst du bitte die Namen auf der Gästeliste abhaken?
Could you please check off the names on the guest list?
This meaning is a metaphor: you mentally put a check mark behind a topic to signal that you no longer want to deal with it. It is about emotional or mental closure.
Nach dem Streit wollte er die Sache einfach nur noch abhaken.
After the argument, he just wanted to put the matter behind him.
to lock / to complete
'abschließen' and 'abhaken' can both mean that something is done and no longer remains open. 'abschließen' sounds more neutral and often more formal; you use it for projects, tasks, courses of education, or also for a difficult experience that you leave behind. 'abhaken' is more colloquial and lighter: you mark something on a list as completed, or you think: that is over now, I am not going to deal with it anymore. The words can be confused because both express an ending. 'abschließen' fits better when there is a real completion, while 'abhaken' fits better for individual items or for something you want to be mentally done with.
Nach dem Telefonat kann ich diesen Punkt auf meiner Liste abhaken.
After the phone call, I can check this item off my list.
Zum Ende des Kurses schließen die Teilnehmenden ein gemeinsames Projekt ab.
At the end of the course, the participants complete a project together.