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Synonyms

padlock

American  
[pad-lok] / ˈpædˌlɒk /

noun

  1. a portable or detachable lock with a pivoted or sliding shackle that can be passed through a link, ring, staple, or the like.

verb (used with object)

  1. to fasten with or as with a padlock.

padlock British  
/ ˈpædˌlɒk /

noun

  1. a detachable lock having a hinged or sliding shackle, which can be used to secure a door, lid, etc, by passing the shackle through rings or staples

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to fasten with or as if with a padlock

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unpadlocked adjective

Etymology

Origin of padlock

First recorded in 1425–75, padlock is from the late Middle English word padlok. See pod 4, lock 1

Explanation

A lightweight lock that attaches using a pivoting hook is called a padlock. Many high school students use lockers that can be locked with padlocks to keep their smelly gym clothes safe. A padlock's hook or shackle is hinged so that it can fasten through an opening, clicking shut securely. Most padlocks require a key to open them, while others use a combination, a series of wheels that you turn and align to show a certain password before the padlock will open. You can use padlock as a verb, too: "Be sure to padlock the back gate when you leave!"

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The first and only response to that invitation was to ask him to put a padlock on the door to the storage room full of boxed documents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Not necessarily a designer one, but a handbag with a strong sense of itself — an acid-green baguette bag, a wicker orb with a padlock, a cheetah-print apothecary satchel.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025

The 61-year-old accountant, who lives with his wife and daughter, had activated an alarm and put a padlock on the gate the night before.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

The cover art is — assuming this isn’t some misdirection — a cryptic minty green background and sparkly orange padlock.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2025

Kingshaw leaped up and ran forward, but as he put his hand out to the door, he heard the click of the padlock.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.