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Synonyms

padlock

American  
[pad-lok] / ˈpædˌlɒk /

noun

  1. a portable or detachable lock with a pivoted or sliding shackle that can be passed through a link, ring, staple, or the like.

verb (used with object)

  1. to fasten with or as with a padlock.

padlock British  
/ ˈpædˌlɒk /

noun

  1. a detachable lock having a hinged or sliding shackle, which can be used to secure a door, lid, etc, by passing the shackle through rings or staples

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to fasten with or as if with a padlock

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unpadlocked adjective

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!"

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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 first and only response to that invitation was to ask him to put a padlock on the door to the storage room full of boxed documents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

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

Saint Laurent’s latest offering — understated black leather with a charming gold padlock hanging off the handle — offers the user a graceful chicness that more than justifies the price tag.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

The 61-year-old accountant, who lives with his wife and daughter, had activated an alarm and put a padlock on the gate the night before.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

After that, he slipped a large padlock through a hole drilled in the latch.

From "Pony Problems: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #3" by Carolyn Keene

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.