lock
noun
a device for securing a door, gate, lid, drawer, or the like in position when closed, consisting of a bolt or system of bolts propelled and withdrawn by a mechanism operated by a key, dial, etc.
were locking
-
past progressiveof lock.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
A Times survey in November of Los Angeles area drugstores suggested that stores in higher-income neighborhoods were locking up fewer commonly stolen items, even if the property crime rate was higher in those areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
Kunzelman testified he did so because residents were locking him in and out.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2023
It wasn’t: The NBA’s team owners were locking out the players.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 28, 2022
Two days later, Button and her boyfriend rode their bikes to a restaurant in Crown Heights, and when they were locking them up she heard her cell phone vibrate inside her backpack.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 25, 2019
The driver had just slammed the lid on a trunkful of luggage and Charles and Camilla were locking the door behind them.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
