lock-in
Americannoun
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an act or instance of becoming unalterable, unmovable, or rigid.
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commitment, binding, or restriction.
noun
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Enclose, surround, as in The ship was completely locked in ice . [c. 1400s]
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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.
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
The lock-in effect is now fading.
From MarketWatch
Housing inventory has already been rising sharply as the lock-in effect fades.
From MarketWatch
For many of these homeowners, the lock-in effect doesn’t hold them back from selling their home, because they’re not paying a mortgage on the property.
From MarketWatch
"We were his first British radio interview," she says, recalling that he did a lock-in at his studio to show her his latest tracks.
From BBC
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.
