padlock
noun
a portable or detachable lock with a pivoted or sliding shackle that can be passed through a link, ring, staple, or the like.
padlocking
-
present participleof padlock.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
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
