locksmith
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of locksmith
1200–50; Middle English loksmith (first attested as surname). See lock 1, smith
Explanation
If your job is installing locks on people's houses and fixing their broken locks, you can call yourself a locksmith. A locksmith knows all about locks; she makes them, puts them on doors, and repairs them. If you've ever locked yourself out of your house, the person to call for help is a locksmith. When you need a new copy of your apartment key, you can also visit a locksmith. The word comes from lock and smith, from the Old English smið, "one who works with metal."
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.
On a recent wintry night, Nodler was excited to spot two familiar guests at a table enjoying chicken schnitzel and homemade milk bread: the butcher shop owner and town locksmith.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
"We would recommend you save the number of a local approved locksmith in your mobile phone so that you don't need to search for one when you need one."
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
But once their grandson left, the locksmith claimed to find fault with the lock itself and said the whole thing needed replacing.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
They regained access with the help of former students and a locksmith.
From BBC • Sep. 12, 2025
Close behind us were our friends: Tjaden, a skinny locksmith of our own age, the biggest eater of the company.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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.
