padlock
Americannoun
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padlocks
plural
verb (used with object)
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padlocks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
padlocked,
past participle, past
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padlocking
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
padlocksimple
-
padlockssimple
-
have padlockedperfect
-
has padlockedperfect
-
am padlockingprogressive
-
are padlockingprogressive
-
is padlockingprogressive
-
have been padlockingperfect progressive
-
has been padlockingperfect progressive
Past
-
padlockedsimple
-
had padlockedperfect
-
was padlockingprogressive
-
were padlockingprogressive
-
had been padlockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of padlock
First recorded in 1425–75, padlock is from the late Middle English word padlok. See pod 4, lock 1
Explanation
A lightweight lock that attaches using a pivoting hook is called a padlock. Many high school students use lockers that can be locked with padlocks to keep their smelly gym clothes safe. A padlock's hook or shackle is hinged so that it can fasten through an opening, clicking shut securely. Most padlocks require a key to open them, while others use a combination, a series of wheels that you turn and align to show a certain password before the padlock will open. You can use padlock as a verb, too: "Be sure to padlock the back gate when you leave!"
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:
When we arrive he stops at a weathered wooden fence, uses a saw-toothed key to open a padlock, and swings open the gate before pulling into a nearly empty parking lot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
"They say education is the key, but honestly speaking we never find the padlock open," Daniel told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Giving evidence to the inquest on Friday, Jonathan McKee explained that it is not known for sure if there was a padlock on the hatch in the months before Noah's death.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
Not necessarily a designer one, but a handbag with a strong sense of itself — an acid-green baguette bag, a wicker orb with a padlock, a cheetah-print apothecary satchel.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
Instead of a doorknob, it has a large metal hasp with a hefty padlock.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Inspired by a trend in Paris, couples attached metal padlocks and threw the keys into the East River.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
As well as public safety, the large numbers of padlocks have sparked concerns over accessibility.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2024
Sensing my interest in the cluster of irregular towers, he stood up, produced a large key ring and began opening a series of padlocks.
From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
There’s also a large metal “Love” sign at the visitors’ center, where people attach padlocks engraved with names and messages of love.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
They’d put chains and padlocks on the doors and posted “No Hunting, No Trespassing” signs at the gate.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
Sindorf left in May 2024 but padlocked the unit behind him, preventing Vivos from taking possession.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
But residents can no longer view the bright autumn colours of the tree of life, a symbol often painted by Behzad, as the wooden door has been padlocked shut.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
In March, the clinic doors had been padlocked for two weeks when she developed vomiting and diarrhea.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025
One of the storage tanks that supplies water for firefighting purposes in Malibu stands behind a “no trespassing” sign and a padlocked chain-link gate topped with barbed wire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2025
Every crate must be padlocked, every transport manifest kept in a secure place.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
She’s laid off half the staff and joked about padlocking the door.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2025
And a law that was passed primarily with climate protesters in its sights, who have taken to gluing themselves to roads and padlocking themselves to this, that and the other.
From BBC ● May 9, 2023
“It would be a terrible shame if someone were to buy it and then start padlocking it. They’ve done so much work to it, it’s quite amazing,” Bell & Co.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 27, 2022
We used the local police to support the water authority in padlocking water valves in an uncooperative shopping center.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 30, 2020
But most of the stores were closed and the owners had pulled the metal gates down over the front windows and doors, padlocking them shut.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
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.
