How do you call the action when you select items in a checkbox?

This is more of an English language question, but UX designers will readily understand. When i have a checkbox with items, then say for a help description text, do you rather use the verb "select items" or "check items"?

I have also the case where the user has made another choice elsewhere and i need to pre-select items (in a checkbox) as a result of that other choice. And there is a user action to trigger that selection.

Would you rather say "Select items based on [other choice]" or "Check items based on [other choice]"?

"Select" seems more natural to me and "check" sounds like "verify" which is not the intent. But then it is called "checkbox" for a reason? As you could have guessed, I'm not a native English speaker. Can someone clarify and confirm?