lockdown

[ lok-doun ]

/ ˈlɒkˌdaʊn /

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See synonyms for lockdown on Thesaurus.com

noun

the confining of prisoners to their cells, as following a riot or other disturbance: The prison lockdown continues, more than three weeks after the death of a guard.

a security measure taken during an emergency to prevent people from leaving or entering a building or other location: The school remains under lockdown due to police activity in the area.The governor implemented a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus—residents may not leave their homes for nonessential activities.The army base was on lockdown after a report of shots fired.

a freeze or pause: Banks aren’t lending during this credit lockdown.

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Origin of lockdown

First recorded in 1970–75; lock¹ + -down, probably extracted from nouns formed from phrasal verbs, such as crackdown, shutdown, etc.

How to use lockdown in a sentence

Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That article noted that the F-35 does not currently have the ability to down-link live video to ground troops,.
Pentagon Misfires in Stealth Jet Scandal|Dave Majumdar|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A grand juror in the Ferguson case is suing to be able to explain exactly what went down in the courtroom.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The gunman then burst from the restaurant and fled down the street with the other man.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

My doctor insisted that once I filed this piece I lie down on my bed and not get out.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The bride elect rushes up to him, and so they both step down to the foot-lights.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")
I take the Extream Bells, and set down the six Changes on them thus.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
His wife stood smiling and waving, the boys shouting, as he disappeared in the old rockaway down the sandy road.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
So he bore down on the solemn declaration that she stood face to face with a prison term for perjury.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Do not the widow's tears run down the cheek, and her cry against him that causeth them to fall?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for lockdown

lockdown

/ (ˈlɒkˌdəʊn) /

noun

US a security measure in which those inside a building such as a prison, school, or hospital are required to remain confined in it for a timemany schools remained under lockdown yesterday

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

lockdown

Origin of lockdown

Words related to lockdown

How to use lockdown in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lockdown