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)
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 men were sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center, a lockup known for allegations of human rights abuses.
—Didi Martinez, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
One also wonders if Mayfair Witches kept Moira in lockup for an entire episode because her mind-reading powers would render all of our other narrative action DOA.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
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 men were sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center, a lockup known for allegations of human rights abuses.
—Didi Martinez, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
One also wonders if Mayfair Witches kept Moira in lockup for an entire episode because her mind-reading powers would render all of our other narrative action DOA.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
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He was arrested after the warrant and was jailed from Feb. 2 to July 22, 2021, sources said.—
Ellen Moynihan,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
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Some foreigners have been jailed on lese majeste charges in the past, but the vast majority have been Thai.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His lawyers said Mahdi's original attorneys put on a shallow case trying to spare his life that didn't call on relatives, teachers or others who knew him and ignored the impact of months spent in solitary confinement in prison as a teen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
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Alexander Smirnov was sentenced to six years in prison in January after pleading guilty to lying to his FBI handler about the Biden family's ties to a Ukrainian energy company -- in addition to a series of unrelated tax fraud charges.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Union leaders and journalists who criticized Bukele have also been imprisoned.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2025
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He is imprisoned in El Salvador, where he was sent with other migrants accused of being gang members.—
Albert Sun,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Barnes, 67, was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in a Russian penitentiary in February 2024.—
Tanya Stukalova,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
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The first penitentiaries weren’t built until the late 1700s, so more extreme sentences were deemed necessary to prevent discord.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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