as in to jail
to put in or as if in prison
if they catch you, they're going to lock you up and throw away the key!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the firm conviction that juvenile offenders should never be held in adult lockups
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lock (up)
Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
The Brooklyn jail is the city’s only federal lockup and previously held high-profile inmates like Sam Bankman-Fried, Ghislaine Maxwell and R. Kelly.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
Per the outlet, at least 645 defendants were sentenced to periods ranging from a few days to 22 years in federal lockup, with 250 people currently in custody.
—Nicholas Rice, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
Trump and other company insiders were barred from selling their shares until Sept. 19, when a lockup agreement expired.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
Other individuals who worked to influence Trump and his Justice Department on Low’s behalf aren’t looking at decades in federal lockup.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
The Brooklyn jail is the city’s only federal lockup and previously held high-profile inmates like Sam Bankman-Fried, Ghislaine Maxwell and R. Kelly.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
Per the outlet, at least 645 defendants were sentenced to periods ranging from a few days to 22 years in federal lockup, with 250 people currently in custody.
—Nicholas Rice, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
Trump and other company insiders were barred from selling their shares until Sept. 19, when a lockup agreement expired.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
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In related news, the mayor of San José proposed jailing homeless people who repeatedly refuse shelter.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
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Both men remained jailed on $100,000 bond Thursday at a Platte County detention facility.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA TODAY,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The two were later tried separately, with Lori being sentenced to life in prison without parole and Chad, who was part of a doomsday cult, sentenced to death, also for the murder of Lori's two kids and his first wife.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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In prison, McTiernan interviewed many of his fellow inmates to gather their stories and testimonies.—
Maelle Beauget-Uhl,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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He was imprisoned in Afghanistan from 2019 until just two weeks before the bombing, at which point he was recruited by an ISIS-K member to assist in the attack.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
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Ocalan, 75, has been imprisoned on the island of Imrali, off Istanbul, since 1999, after being convicted of treason.—
ROBERT BADENDIECK AND SUZAN FRASER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The complaints at Lee mirror accounts from what was then a federal penitentiary, USP Thomson in Illinois, especially the overuse of four-point restraints.—
Christie Thompson,
NPR,
18 Dec. 2024
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Lamberth also noted that there are only about 16 transgender women housed in female penitentiaries, including the three plaintiffs who sued.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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