lockdown

[ lok-doun ]

noun

1. the confining of prisoners to their cells, as following a riot or other disturbance:

   The prison lockdown continues, more than three weeks after the death of a guard.

2. a security measure taken during an emergency to prevent people from leaving or entering a building or other location: The governor implemented a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus—residents may not leave their homes for nonessential activities.

   The school remains under lockdown due to police activity in the area.

   The governor implemented a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus—residents may not leave their homes for nonessential activities.

   The army base was on lockdown after a report of shots fired.

3. a freeze or pause:

   Banks aren’t lending during this credit lockdown.

lockdown

/ ˈlɒkˌdəʊn /

noun

1. a security measure in which those inside a building such as a prison, school, or hospital are required to remain confined in it for a time

   many schools remained under lockdown yesterday

Word History and Origins

Origin of lockdown¹

First recorded in 1970–75; lock ¹ + -down, probably extracted from nouns formed from phrasal verbs, such as crackdown, shutdown, etc.

Example Sentences

Many people have found it easier than expected and a real lifeline in lockdown.

From TechCrunch

Covid-19-induced lockdowns were expected to take a toll on India’s economy, like anywhere else.

From Quartz

Now the PPP funds have run out, and we’re well into month six of a lockdown that doesn’t show signs of ending anytime soon.

From Fortune

Emissions plummeted worldwide when countries went into lockdown in the spring, and cities have since been implementing new measures to keep pollution down and get people to be more active and environmentally conscious.

From Singularity Hub 

A nationwide lockdown plunged the economy into its worst recession since World War Two and activity isn’t expected to return to pre-crisis levels until the end of next year at the earliest.

From Fortune

Hence, I suspect, the panic, the lockdown, the capitulation.

From The Daily Beast

When it hits your city, be ready to lockdown your house and banish outside family members, they seem to suggest.

From The Daily Beast

Police put the school in lockdown and searched the classrooms and lockers, with no result.

From The Daily Beast

But thanks to the security lockdown, the project proved more difficult than the band expected.

From The Daily Beast

How did Noujaim get her cameras into a country in the middle of a military lockdown?

From The Daily Beast