lock-in

American  

[lok-in] / ˈlɒkˌɪn /

noun

1. an act or instance of becoming unalterable, unmovable, or rigid.

2. commitment, binding, or restriction.

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lock-in British  

noun

1. an illegal session of selling alcohol in a bar after the time when it should, by law, be closed

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lock in Idioms  

1. Enclose, surround, as in The ship was completely locked in ice . [c. 1400s]

2. Also, lock into . Fix firmly in position, commit to something. This phrase often occurs as , as in She felt she was locked in a binding agreement , or Many of the stockholders are locked into their present positions . [Mid-1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of lock-in

First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase lock in

Example Sentences

In 2024, existing-home sales were 4.06 million, the lowest level since 1995, largely due to mortgage rate lock-in.

From Barron's

The structural lock-in gets worse.

From MarketWatch

That suggests that the so-called lock-in effect is easing.

From MarketWatch

Granted, he isn’t in a position to point out the role of tariffs in raising construction costs, but he might have named building regulations or mortgage lock-in or environmental rules.

From The Wall Street Journal

The “lock-in effect,” where homeowners who didn’t want to give up their relatively low rates refused to sell their homes, effectively froze the housing market.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• apprehend
• commit
• detain
• hold
• incarcerate
• jail
• lock up
• remand