padlock
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
During a robust series of exchanges, the witness rejected a suggestion by the family lawyer that the department "hadn't a clue" whether there was a padlock in place.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
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
A remarkably foul odor hung in the air, and the passage descended to a lonely black door with an iron padlock.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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.
