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
They hurried to the door that would take them into the stairwell to the top level, where they could go through the water lock, out the caverns, and into freedom in the forest.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
