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
Relevance
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
Examples of lock (up) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2024
Timberlake was arrested, spent the rest of the night in a local lockup, and was released in the morning.
—Sean Piccoli, Deadline, 26 July 2024
Some research suggests the shoplifting problem these lockups are combatting is overblown.
—Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week Us, theweek, 30 July 2024
But jail oversight officials, legal observers and even the city jail system’s federal monitor questioned the claim, citing several lockups where isolation of detainees viewed as troublesome is still in use.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lock (up) 
Noun
In the summer of 2019, justice reformers celebrated because the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors scrapped a controversial $1.7-billion plan to replace the county’s oldest lockup — the dungeon-like Men’s Central Jail on Bauchet Street — with a jail-like mental health facility.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2024
Timberlake was arrested, spent the rest of the night in a local lockup, and was released in the morning.
—Sean Piccoli, Deadline, 26 July 2024
Some research suggests the shoplifting problem these lockups are combatting is overblown.
—Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week Us, theweek, 30 July 2024
But jail oversight officials, legal observers and even the city jail system’s federal monitor questioned the claim, citing several lockups where isolation of detainees viewed as troublesome is still in use.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lock (up)
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lock (up).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near lock (up)
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share