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.

---

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

---

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.

Explanation

A lockdown is when people are restricted to a specific area for safety reasons. When incarcerated people are put on lockdown, they're usually confined inside their cells. Prisons and jails use lockdowns to ensure that inmates and guards are safe, and schools use them the same way, as a response to a threat of danger. During a building lockdown, no one is permitted to enter or leave. Public health lockdowns are a variation on this; the perceived threat isn't violence, but a contagious disease, and staying home reduces the rate of spread. Lockdown originated from the prison meaning and its literal locked cells.

Example Sentences

During the shooting, five of the district’s school close to the Islamic Center were placed on lockdown.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

When she returned to New York, she resumed her work in bigger groups until 2020, when the Covid-19 lockdown sent her back to this project.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

One month into the UK's Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Coleman, then 15, saved a document to his iPad.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

A war stalemate and lockdown in the Strait of Hormuz did not get in the way of the best month for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq since 2020.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

Max replied cheerfully, and a split second later, my apartment’s security system switched into lockdown mode.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline