unlocked
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something that's unlocked isn't latched or secured. You can open an unlocked door and walk right through it. If your front door isn't locked, it's unlocked. Unless you lock it with a key or turn a bolt in the latch, it's going to stay unlocked. A more modern version of this adjective is used for mobile phones, and it means "able to operate on any carrier's network," rather than one specific network. So your unlocked smart phone will work with whichever phone company you choose.
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.
So far, unlocked insider shares haven’t weighed too heavily on the stock.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
As SpaceX's shares are unlocked Thursday, some early employees who received thousands of stock options as part of their compensation packages could see a massive windfall.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Quintero made a phone call before they slipped through an unlocked back door.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"More free trade means more business, more ease, more value unlocked," Bamba said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
She knelt on the concrete floor and unlocked the door to Fig’s carrier.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
