What does ‘take a rain check’ mean?

If someone says they will ‘take a rain check’, it means they cannot accept your invitation but would like to at a later time. It’s a friendly way to say no when someone invites you to do something or go somewhere. It’s especially common in American English. Here are some examples:

A: Do you want to get a coffee this afternoon?

B: I’ll have to take a rain check on that. How about Friday? 


Mind if I take a rain check on that drink? I have to work late tonight. How about next week?


A: Want to go to the concert this weekend?

B: Sorry, I’m going to take a rain check with this one.

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When someone says ‘take a rain check’, you can reply by saying ‘Sure, no problem’ or ‘No problem, next time!’.

When was the last time you ‘took a rain check’ on something?

Where does this idiom come from?
  When baseball games were canceled because of rain, people were given a new ‘rain check’ ticket they could use for another game.

Related links:

What does ‘I’m dying for a coffee mean’?

Five English phrases for dinner parties

Can you tell a funny story in English?