dreadlocks

American

[dred-loks] / ˈdrɛdˌlɒks /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

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

dreadlocks British

/ ˈdrɛdˌlɒks /

plural noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of dreadlocks

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

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 young programmer—sporting dreadlocks and a nose ring at the time—was one of Twitter’s co-founders and served as its CEO until 2008, when he was pushed out amid concerns he was distracted by his hobbies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

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.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2025

He presented prison guards with a copy of a 2017 court ruling stating that Rastafarians should be allowed to keep their dreadlocks in line with their religious beliefs.

From Barron's • Nov. 10, 2025

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.”

From Salon • Nov. 9, 2025

She was a vision in cowries: they rattled from her wrists, were strung through her curled dreadlocks, and looped around her neck.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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