lockdown

noun

lock·​down ˈläk-ˌdau̇n 

plural lockdowns

1

: the confinement of prisoners to their cells for all or most of the day as a temporary security measure

2

a

: an emergency measure or condition in which people are temporarily prevented from entering or leaving a restricted area or building (such as a school) during a threat of danger

For those of you unfamiliar with a school lockdown, it basically means that … when there is a threat of danger, the doors to all the classrooms and offices are locked.

—Anne Sponholtz

lockdown drills/procedures

b

: a temporary condition imposed by governmental authorities (as during the outbreak of an epidemic disease) in which most people are required to refrain from or limit activities outside the home involving public contact (such as dining out or attending large gatherings)

Authorities placed the central Chinese city under lockdown on Jan. 23 after the virus had infected hundreds of residents and was just starting its spread across the globe.

—Darryl Coote

The San Francisco Bay Area lockdown and national guidelines signal a rapid escalation of government and business efforts to halt the coronavirus spread via restrictions that will slam the brakes on economic activity.

—Ed Carson

While most people are at home during lockdown, essential workers are still on the front lines and need their children to be looked after.

—George Heagney

Examples of lockdown in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In China, fossil fuel use soared to a new record high in 2023, up by 6%, as the end of its extended Covid lockdowns led to a rebound in fossil fuels. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 20 June 2024

The Biden ad campaign is anchored by a spot that reminds viewers that the 2020 Copa América was delayed because of the covid lockdowns during Donald Trump’s presidency. —Michael Scherer, Washington Post, 20 June 2024

Share [Findings] A psycholinguistic analysis of posts on Twitter and Weibo during COVID-19 lockdowns found that residents of Lombardy grew increasingly focused on leisure and residents of Wuhan grew increasingly focused on religion. —Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 19 June 2024

The Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College and a local Meijer store also went into lockdown by 4 p.m. Monday, according to the The Morning Sun. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 18 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

lockdown

noun

lock·​down

ˈläk-ˌdau̇n

1

: the confinement of prisoners to their cells as a security measure

2

a

: an emergency measure in which people are temporarily prevented from entering or leaving a restricted area during a threat of danger

b

: a temporary condition imposed by government authorities (as during the outbreak of an epidemic disease) in which people are required to stay in their homes and refrain from or limit activities outside the home (as dining out)

Legal Definition

lockdown

noun

lock·​down ˈläk-ˌdau̇n 

: the confinement of prisoners to their cells for a temporary period as a security measure