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Yale lock

British  
/ jeɪl /

noun

  1. a type of cylinder lock using a flat serrated key

"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

Etymology

Origin of Yale lock

C19: after L Yale (1821–68), US inventor

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.

"As soon as you hear the key going over the teeth in the Yale lock, I just knew what was going to happen - and it happened again."

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

Breen also said that “Matter support for the Nest x Yale lock is not planned at this time.”

From The Verge • Jun. 16, 2022

In October the company announced plans to move its corporate headquarters to Harbor Point and open a large retail store in another old Yale lock building.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2010

Twentieth Century man is as unlike his forebears as the Yale lock is unlike the wooden tumbler-lock of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

From Time Magazine Archive

The handle was simply a knob, and the door was held fast by a Yale lock.

From Frank Merriwell's Return to Yale by Standish, Burt L.