lockup

[lok-uhp]

noun

1. a jail, especially a local one for temporary detention.

2. the act of locking up or the state of being locked up.

3. a temporary imprisonment or detention, as of suspects or prisoners.

4. a stock that has been held by an individual as a long-term investment, or that a brokerage firm is required by a regulation to hold for a certain period of time before it can be sold.

5. any investment or credit instrument, as a renewed loan, in which capital is tied up for a long time.

6. Printing.

   1. the entire body of type and cuts locked up in a chase preparatory to printing or platemaking.

   2. the act or procedure of locking up type and cuts in a chase.

7. Automotive.,  a sudden stopping of the rotation of a wheel.

8. British Informal.,  a rented locker, storage space, or garage.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lockup¹

First recorded in 1760–70; noun use of verb phrase lock up

Example Sentences

Most of his investors had agreed to a two-year “lockup” and could not pull their money out at will.

Read more on Literature

The Sybil Brand Commission’s 10 members serve a key oversight role, regularly conducting unannounced inspections of county jails and lockups.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

So when Matías was held in a federal lockup in downtown Los Angeles, she faced a momentous choice — one that would mark her family for life.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They reviewed the schooling and positive programs he had been involved with in prison, along with transgressions he had while in lockup, including prison fights and being found multiple times with contraband.

Read more on BBC

The conviction might have brought him up to 13 years in prison, but the probation department had recommended against lockup, and there was little expectation that the judge would give him hard time.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• penitentiary