padlock

[ pad-lok ]

/ ˈpædˌlɒk /

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See synonyms for: padlock / padlocked / padlocking on Thesaurus.com

noun

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)

to fasten with or as with a padlock.

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Origin of padlock

First recorded in 1425–75, padlock is from the late Middle English word padlok.See pod⁴, lock¹

OTHER WORDS FROM padlock

un·pad·locked, adjective

Words nearby padlock

Paderewski, padeye, pad foot, padishah, padkos, padlock, Padma Shri, padouk, Padova, padparadschah sapphire, padre

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use padlock in a sentence

Just drill holes through it to match the mounting points of whatever rack or solution you’re using, then secure the top strap with a padlock.
How to Safely Store and Transport Extra Gasoline|Wes Siler|May 14, 2021|Outside Online
Aside from the patisserie, I rarely frequented any of those establishments, yet I feel a twinge in my chest every time I see the padlocks.
The Pandemic Has Been Tough for Extroverts. Here's How I Managed to Make Friends Anyway|Belinda Luscombe|April 20, 2021|Time
The body lay in an aboveground marble sarcophagus guarded by no groundskeepers or watchmen, just one lonely padlock.
Invasion of the Celebrity Body Snatchers, From Charlie Chaplin to Casey Kasem|Melissa Leon|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the Pont des Arts we buy a padlock engraved with our initials, T and E.
Discovering The Charms Of La France Profonde|Emma Woolf|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yet Romney happily slid his leg into this manacle, slammed down the padlock, and threw the key into the river.
Michael Tomasky: Obama’s High-Stakes Gamble on Gay Marriage|Michael Tomasky|May 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One tent had a padlock on the front, a visible if not effective request for some privacy.
Stimulus Dollars for Sex Offenders?|Gerald Posner|September 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
An hour later, with a nice, shiny new padlock, I went back to the composing-room.
Nine Men in Time|Noel Miller Loomis
The light was switched off, and Bud heard the doors pulled shut, and the rattle of the padlock and chain.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
If he had been surprised at seeing the padlock, it was nothing to the burning indignation which now possessed him.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
What was his astonishment at finding an enormous padlock and a heavy chain upon the door!
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
Still, they were so honest that a padlock, broken by mistake, was secretly replaced by a new one on the next day.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber

British Dictionary definitions for padlock

padlock

/ (ˈpædˌlɒk) /

noun

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

verb

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

Word Origin for padlock

C15 pad, of obscure origin

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

padlock

Origin of padlock

OTHER WORDS FROM padlock

Words nearby padlock

Words related to padlock

How to use padlock in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for padlock

Word Origin for padlock