interlock
Americanverb (used without object)
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to fit into each other, as parts of machinery, so that all action is synchronized.
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to interweave or interlace, one with another.
The branches of the trees interlock to form a natural archway.
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Railroads. (of switches, signals, etc.) to operate together in a prearranged order.
verb (used with object)
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to lock one with another.
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to fit (parts) together to ensure coordinated action.
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Railroads. to arrange (switches, signals, etc.) to effect a predetermined sequence of movement.
noun
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the fact or condition of interlocking or of being interlocked.
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the existence or an instance of an interlocking directorate.
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a device for preventing a mechanism from being set in motion when another mechanism is in such a position that the two operating simultaneously might produce undesirable results.
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Also called ignition interlock. a device or system that prevents an automotive engine from starting until the seat belt for any occupied front seat is fastened.
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a stretch fabric made with a circular knitting machine having two alternating sets of long and short needles.
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Movies. a device for synchronizing the action of a camera and sound recorder.
verb
noun
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the act of interlocking or the state of being interlocked
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a device, esp one operated electromechanically, used in a logic circuit or electrical safety system to prevent an activity being initiated unless preceded by certain events
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a closely knitted fabric
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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interlocksimple
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interlockssimple
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have interlockedperfect
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has interlockedperfect
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am interlockingprogressive
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are interlockingprogressive
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is interlockingprogressive
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have been interlockingperfect progressive
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has been interlockingperfect progressive
Past
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interlockedsimple
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had interlockedperfect
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was interlockingprogressive
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were interlockingprogressive
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had been interlockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of interlock
Explanation
When things interlock with each other, they fit or work together. When a bicycle is properly built, all of its separate parts interlock. The parts of a machine have to interlock for it to work well: gears must interlock with each other, for example. You can also interlock fingers with another person, holding hands so that they're laced together. This verb, dating from the 17th century, combines inter-, "between" and lock, "to close or to lock," from an Old English root.
Vocabulary lists containing interlock
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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:
"Let's take sand as an example. Sand is smooth and convex-shaped, meaning it cannot interlock from grain to grain," PhD student Youhan Sohn said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026
Also like MBS and CDS, new financial assets have begun to interlock in odd, hard-to-understand ways with traditional financial products.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
Once she is allowed to return behind the wheel, she will be placed under five years of supervised probation with an ignition interlock device, with the potential of three years of unsupervised probation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025
I’m interested in the scripts on the field and off, and the plotlines that interlock.
From Slate ● Jan. 30, 2024
His hands go behind his back, and his fingers interlock.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Park’s directorial vernacular, which pairs brutal subject matter with black comedy, interlocks neatly with Nguyen’s satirical style.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
The subfloor needs to be in the same plane so the LVP interlocks and stays locked when you walk on it.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
The pizza will also be served in a round pizza box, which is industrially compostable and interlocks with other boxes for stability.
From The Verge ● Oct. 22, 2019
Highlights include that we have laws requiring seatbelt use, prohibiting texting while driving and using ignition interlocks on people with DUI convictions.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 12, 2017
She interlocks her hand with mine as we enter the treatment salon.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
The school alarm would pierce the air and teachers would instruct us to slide from our chairs, crouch under our desks facing the floor, and place our hands, fingers interlocked, over our necks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
In July, the two squeezed next to each other on Baca’s couch at the lawyer’s Long Beach home, hands interlocked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2025
"Then I interlocked arms with him so I knew he wouldn't go anywhere, I waved to my dad and started heading out."
From BBC ● May 3, 2025
Before police cleared the area around Hamilton Hall on April 30, 30 or so students interlocked arms outside the building in a human barricade to protect the protesters inside.
From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2024
The interlocked bushes ranged from ten to twelve feet tall, and they looked really thick.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
In the worm's jaws, sharper changes in strain across tiny regions appear to increase the interlocking of defects within the atomic structure, producing the characteristic size effect.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Set in Mexico, the film stars Mexican-born Anthony Quinn as a brilliant but aging matador facing interlocking personal crises, and Maureen O’Hara as the wealthy American who sets her cap for him.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Astrolabes are metallic disks with multi-layered, interlocking components that were historically used to tell the time, map the stars, the direction of Mecca and the motion of the sky.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
Around 95 million years ago, the Spinosaurus -- a massive beast with a blade-shaped head crest and interlocking teeth -- roamed the African continent.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
His armored skirt was made from thousands of blackened, twisted bones, woven together like chain links and clasped in place by a belt of interlocking monstrous arms.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
