lockdown

American  

[lok-doun] / ˈlɒkˌdaʊn /

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 British  

/ 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

---

Etymology

Origin of lockdown

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

Explanation

A lockdown is when people are restricted to a specific area for safety reasons. When incarcerated people are put on lockdown, they're usually confined inside their cells. Prisons and jails use lockdowns to ensure that inmates and guards are safe, and schools use them the same way, as a response to a threat of danger. During a building lockdown, no one is permitted to enter or leave. Public health lockdowns are a variation on this; the perceived threat isn't violence, but a contagious disease, and staying home reduces the rate of spread. Lockdown originated from the prison meaning and its literal locked cells.

Example Sentences

Lockdown did not change this dynamic in the slightest.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

Lockdown "solidified" this shift as people went without salons and began simplifying their beauty habits, she suggested.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

He’s written a 448-page book, “Records of the Plague Year: From The Shanghai Lockdown to the White Paper Revolution,” hoping to fill in the blanks of state censorship.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 27, 2023

Lockdown is over, and so are the best days of “Ted Lasso.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2023

Marczak urged other likely targets to use Lockdown Mode as well.

From Washington Post • Apr. 18, 2023