to lock
602
2.5
- verb
- /lɑk/
- Together, we have supported struggling states, such as Haiti, in locking in their transitions to democracy and security.
- lock into place
- the brakes locked
- remain locked
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Watch on YouTubeHow is the changing spell locked and made to last?
- How is the changing spell locked and made to last?
- Even though he's so in and locked in, he's still free.
- And at a certain point your voice will lock onto this thing.
- That kind of that argument alone, I think locks the the discussion down.
- And then he just, like, locks eyes with us.
- So it's like the male breadwinner model, just like locks into place.
- I spent six hours like locked in on, on tidying my room.
Examples
-
But this really helps to lock my makeup on all day.
-
Then she had hysterics, but only when she had locked herself in the bathroom.
Fiction book (1990) -
Like it's going to stay locked in in place all day.
-
So keep it locked to five in a bit.
-
So let's just find those again and lock the knees in place.
-
Shut this door and lock it and don't open it till the police come.
-
So the Justica had gotten in and had already locked their security programs into the Justica systems.
Fiction book (1991) -
Locked on and engaged.
-
Accurately or not, arms control treaties are often seen as locking in the status quo.
Academic text (1994) -
She used the key to lock the door securely before leaving the house.
Synonyms
∞
1.9
To stop yourself from showing a feeling or reaction
425
3.9
To keep something inside so it cannot escape by closing or locking
233
4.6
Hold a person or thing so it cannot move freely
157
2.6
Close a house or safe with a key to keep people out
146
2.1
To hold something or someone firmly so they cannot move
110
5.1
To make a machine part start working
105
3.3
To fasten firmly so it cannot move or be taken
88
3.4
Put someone or something somewhere they cannot leave and others cannot reach
73
1.6
Hold something in place so it cannot move
70
3.3
Fasten something tightly to keep it from moving
54
2.9
Keep something or someone in place and still
48
3.4
To become fixed in one position and be hard to move
19
6.2
To restrain someone with chains or limit their freedom
10
3.4
To fasten something using a small metal lock with a U-shaped bar
9
4.1
To join parts so they fit tightly and move together
1
4.8
To bend the end of a nail to hold things together
1
6.8
To fasten something so it does not move
1
9.5
To tie someone's arms or legs so they cannot move
Antonyms
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- Specialized
14
5.6
A chamber that lets people move between places with different air pressure while preventing air mixing
- Specialized
2
7.4
A stop in the fuel moving to a car engine because heat makes gas bubbles
2
2.3
A small device attached to a window that keeps it closed and stops people opening it
- Specialized
1
4.9
A gate that opens and closes to let boats pass and control water in a canal
- US
1
9.9
A long piece of hair left on top of a shaved head, worn in some Indigenous North American cultures
- Specialized
1
5.1
A part in a car that stops the engine from starting without the right key
- Specialized
1
5.8
A part of a canal with gates that raises or lowers boats by changing the water level
- Specialized
1
6.7
A device that keeps a door or safe closed until someone lifts the levers to the right heights
- Formal
A right for a friendly investor to buy key assets before others to stop a takeover
How Fixed
Surface Forms
Etymology
To lock (become stiff) comes from the idea of being fixed or held in one place, like something caught by a door lock. So when a joint or muscle 'locks', it becomes stuck and will not move.