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Synonyms

lock up

British  

verb

  1. Also: lock in.   lock away.  (tr) to imprison or confine

  2. to lock or secure the doors, windows, etc, of (a building)

  3. (tr) to keep or store securely

    secrets locked up in history

  4. (tr) to invest (funds) so that conversion into cash is difficult

  5. printing to secure (type, etc) in a chase or in the bed of the printing machine by tightening the quoins

"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

noun

  1. the action or time of locking up

  2. a jail or block of cells

  3. a small shop with no attached quarters for the owner or shopkeeper

  4. a garage or storage place separate from the main premises

  5. stock exchange an investment that is intended to be held for a relatively long period

  6. printing the pages of type held in a chase by the positioning of quoins

"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

adjective

  1.  lock-up.  (of premises) without living accommodation

    a lock-up shop
"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
lock up Idioms  

  1. Close a house or place of work, fastening all the doors and windows, as in The attendant locks up at eleven o'clock every night , or Did you remind Abby to lock up? [Late 1500s]

  2. Invest in something not easily converted into cash, as in Most of their assets were locked up in real estate . [Late 1600s]

  3. lock someone up . Confine or imprison someone, as in The princes were locked up in the Tower of London . [c. 1300]

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 bonus scene takes place sometime after the movie’s main story ends at the prison where Bowser and Bowser Jr. have been locked up.

From Los Angeles Times

Before tipping off, they had already locked up a playoff spot when the Phoenix Suns lost to the Orlando Magic, giving the Lakers their second consecutive Pacific Division title.

From Los Angeles Times

He was on course to improve on his final run but locked up into the hairpin and lost time.

From BBC

Other companies have also veered from the traditional lock up periods.

From The Wall Street Journal

Subscriptions and services revenue, which includes custodial fees and staking—locking up assets for a fee to verify blockchain transactions—exceeded transaction revenue for the first quarter ever.

From Barron's

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.