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

The riot in Milwaukee, one of scores of uprisings around the United States during the summer of 1967, triggered a citywide lockdown, brought the National Guard — and laid bare the city's racial divide. —Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025

The company, which also owns the swankier Bloomingdales brand and cosmetics retailer Bluemercury, barely made it out of the pandemic after lockdowns strangled in-store shopping and drove customers ever closer to Amazon and other big-box retailers. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025

Full of ideas and dreams, the founder first began working with two artisans – a mother and daughter – who needed an extra income when the world went into lockdown. —Sonya Rehman, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

But that spring, my mental health wasn’t in a good place thanks to the volatile combination of two years of pandemic lockdown, switching my antidepressants, my undiagnosed ADHD and a horrible case of writer's block. —Alison Cochrun, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lockdown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

lockdown

noun

lock·​down

ˈläk-ˌdau̇n

1

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

2

a

: an emergency measure in which people are temporarily prevented from entering or leaving a restricted area during a threat of danger

b

: a temporary condition imposed by government authorities (as during the outbreak of an epidemic disease) in which people are required to stay in their homes and refrain from or limit activities outside the home (as dining out)

Legal Definition

lockdown

noun

lock·​down ˈläk-ˌdau̇n 

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