lockdown

American  

[lok-daun] / ˈlɒkˌdaʊn /

noun

• lockdowns
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lockdowns
  plural

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

See Examples For:

lockdown lockdowns

The forward went on to score six goals and provide two assists in 28 appearances after joining shortly after lockdown.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Marine Davtyan, a Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman, told City News Service the medical emergency required the school to be placed on lockdown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Diller’s company purchased the bulk of its MGM stake in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, when the Las Vegas company’s shares were trading much lower.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Police have imposed a lockdown in Kempton Park in the Ekurhuleni municipality and officers mounted roadblocks after three of the bodies were found this week.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

The past few days of lockdown had made things calmer in the kitchen than usual, Leyla had explained.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Troops were also deployed to enforce strict Covid‑19 lockdowns in 2020 and during the deadly riots sparked by the jailing of ex‑president Jacob Zuma in 2021.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns devastated the Bagdad Cafe — and Pruett, who turned 80 in the summer of 2020.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Ibbie, 16, always struggled with her weight, but it was during the Covid-19 lockdowns that she started eating even more.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

But after pandemic lockdowns, Americans have grown more wary of the state’s insistence that certain security measures are necessary to keep them safe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

“The other lockdowns lasted a few hours. This one’s gone on for three months.”

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer