lock out
Britishverb
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to prevent from entering by locking a door
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to prevent (employees) from working during an industrial dispute, as by closing a factory
noun
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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.”
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Withhold work from employees during a labor dispute, as in The company threatened to lock out the strikers permanently . [Mid-1800s]
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.
It says Burnham's proposal could "lock out private firms", while a Downing Street source tells the paper that "no decision" has been taken.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
At this point, there is virtually no doubt that baseball’s team owners are going to lock out the players after this year’s World Series.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Mikaela Shiffrin was in a league of her own in the last women's World Cup slalom before the Winter Olympics on Sunday to lock out a record ninth title in the discipline.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
The trio’s ultimate goal is to turn the Honmoon gold, which would lock out the demon realm for all time.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2025
“First thing I did was lock out that function. Don’t worry.”
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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.
