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

Once Joe left alone — with Halsey (Phil Burke), the suspect, in lockup — the lights flicker out. —Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2025

The report proposes changes that are intended to ease overcrowding in the lockups and assist neighborhood that would have the new, smaller jails. —Hurubie Meko, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025

The latest version of the Sheriff’s Department policy manual posted online notes that ICE agents are not allowed in any jails, station jails or court lockups for the purposes of immigration enforcement. —Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025

The men were sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center, a lockup known for allegations of human rights abuses. —Didi Martinez, NBC News, 19 Mar. 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