lock out

British  

verb

1. to prevent from entering by locking a door

2. to prevent (employees) from working during an industrial dispute, as by closing a factory

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noun

1. the closing of a place of employment by an employer, in order to bring pressure on employees to agree to terms

lock out Idioms  

1. Keep out, prevent from entering. For example, Karen was so angry at her brother that she locked him out of the house . [Late 1500s] Shakespeare had it in The Comedy of Errors (4:1): “For locking me out of my doors by day.”

2. Withhold work from employees during a labor dispute, as in The company threatened to lock out the strikers permanently . [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

How would being unceremoniously locked out make you feel?

From MarketWatch

How would being unceremoniously locked out make you feel?

From MarketWatch

From being locked out of assets to facing a “widow’s penalty” that can raise tax rates, the transition from a partnership to solo financial management is fraught with potential costs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Plus, people get locked out of their own accounts, unable to prove they’re really them.

From The Wall Street Journal

The first three weeks of the 2012 season, when the officials were locked out, produced a steady stream of criticism.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ban
• bar
• block
• boycott
• eliminate
• ignore
• omit
• ostracize
• preclude
• prevent
• prohibit
• refuse
• reject
• remove
• rule out
• suspend