lockdown

noun

lock·​down ˈläk-ˌdau̇n 

plural lockdowns

1

: the confinement of prisoners to their cells for all or most of the day as a temporary security measure

2

a

: an emergency measure or condition in which people are temporarily prevented from entering or leaving a restricted area or building (such as a school) during a threat of danger

For those of you unfamiliar with a school lockdown, it basically means that … when there is a threat of danger, the doors to all the classrooms and offices are locked.

—Anne Sponholtz

lockdown drills/procedures

b

: a temporary condition imposed by governmental authorities (as during the outbreak of an epidemic disease) in which most people are required to refrain from or limit activities outside the home involving public contact (such as dining out or attending large gatherings)

Authorities placed the central Chinese city under lockdown on Jan. 23 after the virus had infected hundreds of residents and was just starting its spread across the globe.

—Darryl Coote

The San Francisco Bay Area lockdown and national guidelines signal a rapid escalation of government and business efforts to halt the coronavirus spread via restrictions that will slam the brakes on economic activity.

—Ed Carson

While most people are at home during lockdown, essential workers are still on the front lines and need their children to be looked after.

—George Heagney

Examples of lockdown in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If the previous season of Curb addressed the pandemic’s erosion of social norms, this one suggested that people hardly emerged from lockdown kinder or more understanding. —Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024

Porch & Swing, the Southern-style restaurant in Irvine that opened during the lockdown in 2020, closed its doors for good on Saturday, April 6. —Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024

Four years ago, Hilton was so badly bruised by the pandemic’s lockdowns that two-thirds of the hotelier’s workforce would face furloughs or layoffs as hotel room bookings plunged. —Byjohn Kell, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

Coinciding with her personal loss was the start of the COVID lockdown. —Robin Keats, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024

Prison officials ultimately denied permission to him and four other plaintiffs to be exempt from the lockdown order, citing its own calendar that did not list the event as a holy day. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

And amid a coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, residents of Llandudno in Wales spotted herds of goats roaming the streets, after more than a dozen of the animals ventured down from the hill above the town. —Amarachi Orie, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

Perez’s family described him as having been seriously affected by the lockdown orders and isolation from the pandemic. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024

In a clip of his interview with Newsmax, Schlapp suggested that the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s infrastructure and transportation services were weakened by Covid lockdowns. —Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

lockdown

noun

lock·​down ˈläk-ˌdau̇n 

: the confinement of prisoners to their cells for a temporary period as a security measure