lock-in
noun
an act or instance of becoming unalterable, unmovable, or rigid.
lock-in
American
[lok-in]
/ ˈlɒkˌɪn /
noun
-
an act or instance of becoming unalterable, unmovable, or rigid.
-
commitment, binding, or restriction.
lock-in
British
noun
lock in
Idioms
-
Enclose, surround, as in The ship was completely locked in ice . [c. 1400s]
-
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]
Etymology
Origin of lock-in
First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase lock in
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:
This lock-in effect—homeowners refusing to sell and give up a low mortgage rate they locked in years ago—has allowed prices to continue rising, even as demand has sagged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
That lock-in effect has started to ease as sellers realize that rates aren’t falling anytime soon and existing-home inventory is approaching prepandemic levels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Many of them, with good reason, have earned a questionable reputation for complexity, high fees and sometimes costly lock-in periods.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
That is below the somewhat recent peak of 7.79% in October 2023, but high enough to shock people who were thrilled to lock-in unusually low rates in 2012.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Here to present our official library lock-in rules,” said Dr. Zinchenko, “is Mrs. Gail Tobin, head librarian of the Alexandriaville Public Library back in the 1960s, when Mr. Lemoncello was your age.”
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
“Now, yields have reset toward our long-held higher-rates view, and we want to lock in some attractive income.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
A virtual safety car shortly after half-distance gave Ferrari the perfect opportunity to lock in the second and third places Leclerc and Hamilton were holding at that point.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Prospective homeowners are rushing to lock in mortgage rates before they climb any further, and many are locking for longer than they did a year ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
“And it was like, ‘Hey, we need to see more, we need to see this really lock in.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Most knew that an officer wasn’t likely to fill out a misbehavior report over slowness to lock in, but they could never be sure.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
