dreadlocks

[dred-loks]

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a hairstyle, especially among Rastafarians, in which the hair is worn in long, ropelike locks.

dreadlocks

/ ˈdrɛdˌlɒks /

plural noun

1. hair worn in the Rastafarian style of long matted or tightly curled strands

Word History and Origins

Origin of dreadlocks¹

First recorded in 1955–60; dread + lock ² + -s ³

Example Sentences

She looks almost fourteen, and she wears long, thick dreadlocks that fall to her back.

Read more on Literature

You can see that time-bending mash-up in the costumes, with some folks in bright plastic wigs and others in horns and mohawks and dreadlocks like 21st century cavemen.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The US Supreme Court on Monday heard the case of a devout Rastafarian who is seeking damages after his knee-length dreadlocks were forcibly shorn while he was in prison in Louisiana.

Read more on Barron's

After two decades, his dreadlocks went nearly to his knees.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Damon Landor, the petitioner, wore long dreadlocks for almost 20 years as an expression of his beliefs as a Rastafarian – part of a biblical practice known as the “Nazarite vow.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• braid 
• haircut 
• hairdo 
• headdress 
• ponytail