lockup

noun

lock·​up ˈläk-ˌəp 

1

: jail

especially : a local jail where persons are detained prior to court hearing

2

: an act of locking : the state of being locked

Synonyms

• bastille
• big house [slang]
• bridewell
• brig
• calaboose
• can
• clink [slang]
• cooler
• coop
• guardroom
• hock
• hold
• hoosegow
• jail
• jailhouse
• joint [slang]
• jug
• nick [British slang]
• pen
• penitentiary
• pokey [slang]
• prison
• quod [British slang]
• slam
• slammer
• stir [slang]
• stockade
• tolbooth [Scottish]

Examples of lockup in a Sentence

the firm conviction that juvenile offenders should never be held in adult lockups

Recent Examples on the Web

The smarmy billionaire explains that spending three months in lockup cost him everything. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025

The only letter that even touched on racial issues was Landis calling for strict segregation in city and county lockups. —Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2025

In the two months since Brooks’ death at Marcy Correctional Facility near upstate Rome, calls have erupted for systemwide investigations — and prisoners in another lockup near Buffalo took control of two dorms. —Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2025

That wouldn't be Russell's first stint in lockup, though. —Ben Brachfeld, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lockup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• makeup
• markup
• pickup

Kids Definition

lockup

noun

lock·​up -ˌəp 

: prison sense 2, jail

Legal Definition

lockup

noun

lock·​up

1

: a cell or group of cells (as in a courthouse) or jail where persons are held prior to a court hearing compare house of correction, house of detention, jail, penitentiary, prison

2

: the tactic of arranging with a friendly party an option to buy a valuable portion of one's corporate assets in order to discourage a takeover by another party