locker
Americannoun
-
lockers
plural
-
a chest, drawer, compartment, closet, or the like, that may be locked, especially one at a gymnasium, school, etc. for storage and safekeeping of clothing and valuables.
-
Nautical. a chest or compartment in which to stow things.
-
a refrigerated compartment, as in a locker plant, that may be rented for storing frozen foods.
-
a person or thing that locks.
-
Digital Technology. music locker.
noun
-
-
a small compartment or drawer that may be locked, as one of several in a gymnasium, etc, for clothes and valuables
-
( as modifier )
a locker room
-
-
a person or thing that locks
-
a refrigerated compartment for keeping frozen foods, esp one rented in an establishment
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of locker
First recorded in 1375–1425, locker is from the late Middle English word loker. See lock 1, -er 1
Explanation
A locker is a small closet or cabinet with a lock where you can keep your jacket and other possessions for a while. High school students typically have lockers for storing their books (and their smelly gym socks). You might use a locker at school, when you're visiting a museum and need a place to leave your backpack, or at the gym. In fact, most gyms and swimming pools have "locker rooms," where you can change into your workout clothes and store your regular clothes and shoes, as well as your wallet, phone, and keys, in a locker. Locker has been used since the 14th century — and even earlier, although it originally meant "a lock."
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.
See Examples For:
Right now the address is a trans child in a locker room.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
“It was super dramatic,” Watson told reporters in the locker room after the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
The tower hosts an expansive gymnasium, with Peloton bikes facing Central Park, physical therapists and spacious locker rooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Just being on the other side, the other bench, in the other locker room, it was just really weird,” Lue said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
She smiled at Thorn and turned back to the court just as the teams made their way out of the locker rooms.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Some schools have invested in sealed pouches or secure lockers.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
She and her husband paid for one for 15 years; now she sees storage lockers as a form of downsizing procrastination.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
To avoid bear encounters, Fish and Wildlife recommends removing unsecured food from cars and tents, using bear-resistant food canisters or bear lockers, and regularly disposing trash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Kamel Chibli, vice president of the Occitanie regional council in southern France, said digital pouches and lockers used to store smartphones cost the regional authorities around 40,000 euros for a high school with 1,500 students.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
What had happened at the lockers, on the bus, on the blacktop.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
