combination lock
5
2.8
- noun
- /ˌkɒmbɪˈneɪʃən lɒk/
:
candado de combinación
- I lifted the dust ruffle, looked under, and saw a briefcase, tan, with a combination lock.
- dial of a combination lock
- combination lock on the door
- safe with a combination lock
But we were there and there's a great big security door, big giant metal security door on the front with a combination lock on it.
- But we were there and there's a great big security door, big giant metal security door on the front with a combination lock on it.
Examples
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There's a combination lock on the inside of the storm door.
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It's a combination lock.
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- Why did you get a combination lock?
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It's a complex combination lock.
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This thing is like a giant combination lock.
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It has a combination lock on it.
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- It's a six-dial combination lock.
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Sometimes you may want to bring your own combination lock; other gyms won't let you.
Blog text (10) -
Her fingers trembled as she dialed the combination lock.
Fiction book (1993) -
The boy had beaten Simon to their shared locker, already worked the combination lock, and opened the door.
Synonyms
523
1.0
A device that holds doors or containers closed with a key
18
2.2
A small metal device with a U-shaped bar that closes to secure doors or gates
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a lock opened by a code' is directly and predictably derived from 'combination' (a specific code of digits/keys) combined with 'lock' (a fastening). This noun–noun compositional pattern is common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Combination lock gets its name from how you turn dials to make the right combination of numbers so the little wheels inside can line up. When the numbers are in the correct 'order' the lock will 'open', so it means a lock that opens only with that exact sequence and not with a key.