lockdown

American  

[lok-doun] / ˈlɒkˌdaʊn /

noun

1. the confining of prisoners to their cells, as following a riot or other disturbance.

   The prison lockdown continues, more than three weeks after the death of a guard.

2. a security measure taken during an emergency to prevent people from leaving or entering a building or other location: The governor implemented a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus—residents may not leave their homes for nonessential activities.

   The school remains under lockdown due to police activity in the area.

   The governor implemented a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus—residents may not leave their homes for nonessential activities.

   The army base was on lockdown after a report of shots fired.

3. a freeze or pause.

   Banks aren’t lending during this credit lockdown.

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lockdown British  

/ ˈlɒkˌdəʊn /

noun

1. a security measure in which those inside a building such as a prison, school, or hospital are required to remain confined in it for a time

   many schools remained under lockdown yesterday

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Etymology

Origin of lockdown

First recorded in 1970–75; lock ¹ + -down, probably extracted from nouns formed from phrasal verbs, such as crackdown, shutdown, etc.

Example Sentences

Austin Rowland ate a lot of pizza during the pandemic lockdown, but said he rarely orders it now because he sees better food options.

From The Wall Street Journal

She had to spend a lot of time at her home, in Beijing, which had some of the strictest lockdowns in China, if not the world.

From BBC

A gardener by trade, but a keen hobby photographer - the Covid lockdown saw Barry spend more time outside hunting for these organisms.

From BBC

One of those views is about Bobby Storey, a senior republican, whose funeral in 2020 made headlines after claims it broke lockdown guidelines.

From BBC

People have said, “This is a commentary on AI. This is a commentary on divisive politics. This is a commentary on the pandemic lockdown.”

From The Wall Street Journal