deadbolt
Americannoun
-
deadbolts
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of deadbolt
Explanation
A deadbolt is a type of lock that you need a key to open. It's very common to have a deadbolt on an apartment door or the front door of a house. When you turn a key in the lock of a deadbolt, the bolt slides in or out of an opening in the door jamb. Deadbolts are considered to be secure locks that are difficult to open without a key, especially when compared to a spring-loaded lock, the kind you see in the center of a doorknob. While spring latches can be pushed back manually, deadbolts can't — which is why they're called deadbolts. They're dead, or unmovable.
Vocabulary lists containing deadbolt
"The Fast and the Fuel-Efficient" and "Teens Open Doors"
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The Sky at Our Feet
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When I Was the Greatest
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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.
See Examples For:
But crews on scene reported the deadbolt was secured, and said they were getting no answer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
For the two months that federal agents have been conducting immigration raids in Minneapolis, Ana, Carlos and their son Luis have locked themselves in at home, feeling trapped behind their own deadbolt.
From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026
Why it's important: MFA is like having a deadbolt in addition to your regular lock.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2024
The San Francisco-based nonprofit, which began operating the shelter in 2021, claimed it had painted the outside of the hotel and removed deadbolt locks, but no work was actually performed, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2024
Somewhere between the television saying "I thought you died in the car crash" and "I love you too much to let you marry him," I heard a key being pushed into the deadbolt.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
Don’t expect this feature to crop in other smart locks, though, like the deadbolts you’d typically mount on the doors in your home.
From The Verge ● Jul. 22, 2022
Several heavy metal doors opened with deadbolts turned by wheels.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2021
San Francisco residents who are generally uncomfortable with government surveillance have installed security cameras and deadbolts to prevent break-ins, and they have started eyeing outsiders with suspicion.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 11, 2021
These units don’t always have the heavy-duty deadbolts that are standard at most hotels.
From Washington Post ● May 20, 2021
Eventually Madame Manec deadbolts the kitchen door and clears her throat.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
