lock·out
ˈläk-ˌau̇t 
: the withholding of employment by an employer and the whole or partial closing of the business establishment in order to gain concessions from or resist demands of employees
locked out; locking out; locks out
: to subject (a body of employees) to a lockout
Examples of lockout in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel Chang, Washington Post, 20 June 2024
The Edmonton Oilers’ last trip to the Final in 2006—a five-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes—was a year after a lockout canceled the 2004-05 NHL season, and when the Oilers were a bottom-five club for both revenue and franchise value.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 13 June 2024
Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 15 June 2024
Gazprom slumped to its first loss in 20 years in 2023, hemorrhaging 629 billion roubles ($7.1 billion) after being locked out of its crucial Western European export market, a massive swing from its net profit of 1.2 trillion roubles ($12.9 billion) in 2022.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 6 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lockout 
Noun
The state has adopted policies that align with the Biden administration’s efforts to apply Affordable Care Act-style protections to CHIP, such as eliminating annual and lifetime limits on coverage and lockouts if families don’t pay premiums.
—Daniel Chang, Washington Post, 20 June 2024
The Edmonton Oilers’ last trip to the Final in 2006—a five-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes—was a year after a lockout canceled the 2004-05 NHL season, and when the Oilers were a bottom-five club for both revenue and franchise value.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 13 June 2024
Verb
National restaurant chains that started in Arizona Under what circumstances can a landlord lock out a commercial tenant?
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 15 June 2024
Gazprom slumped to its first loss in 20 years in 2023, hemorrhaging 629 billion roubles ($7.1 billion) after being locked out of its crucial Western European export market, a massive swing from its net profit of 1.2 trillion roubles ($12.9 billion) in 2022.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 6 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lockout
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lockout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lockout
Cite this Entry
“Lockout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lockout. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lockout
noun
lock·out
-ˌau̇t
: the stopping of work or closing of a plant by an employer during a labor dispute in order to make the employees come to terms
Legal Definition
lockout
noun
lock·out
ˈläk-ˌau̇t
: the withholding of employment by an employer in order to gain concessions from or resist demands of employees
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share