locked and loaded
Americanadjective
-
(of a firearm) loaded with ammunition and prepared for firing.
They checked their equipment and found the rifles locked and loaded.
-
ready for action.
After so much practice, her throwing arm was locked and loaded for the match.
Etymology
Origin of locked and loaded
First recorded in 1790–1800 as lock and load, used in the U.S. Army's 23-5 Basic Field manual: U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 (1940), and popularized by John Wayne in the film Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
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.
The US was, the president said, "locked and loaded and ready to go".
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he added.
From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026
Chandler, though, stands out as the one who strolls into every situation with a flawlessly quotable sardonic reaction locked and loaded.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2023
And there he was, locked and loaded, ready to splash the story all over YouTube the minute the truth came out.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
