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)
Jordan Novet, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
The Chrisley family's grand return to TV after Todd and Julie's pardon releases from prison is marred by family strife that grew during the years of lockup.
—Ryan Coleman September 2, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Since that peak, CoreWeave’s stock price has steadily dropped, in part because of the end of the lockup period that allowed early investors to sell their shares.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Some private equity or real estate vehicles require multiyear lockups.
—Gregory Clifford, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
Investors holding just over half of Figma's outstanding Class A stock have agreed to an extended lockup, with the final 35% of their shares expiring in August 2026.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
The Chrisley family's grand return to TV after Todd and Julie's pardon releases from prison is marred by family strife that grew during the years of lockup.
—Ryan Coleman September 2, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Since that peak, CoreWeave’s stock price has steadily dropped, in part because of the end of the lockup period that allowed early investors to sell their shares.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Some private equity or real estate vehicles require multiyear lockups.
—Gregory Clifford, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
-
Over the years, Panahi has been twice jailed in Iran and forbidden to film.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
-
After further protests, in 1950, he was jailed again.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In April 2022 the artist, real name Lontrell Williams, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to a gun conspiracy charge stemming from an October 2020 confrontation that left a man shot in the buttocks.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
-
He was found not guilty in one case and pleaded guilty in another; this past December, he was sentenced to twenty-three months in prison and five years of probation, although he was released from federal prison earlier this year.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Many activists and journalists were imprisoned, press freedoms curtailed, organizations disbanded, and the Umbrella Movement was thoroughly crushed.—
Peter Leyden,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
-
If found guility of a level 5 felony, Sanchez could be imprisoned anywhere from 1-6 years at an Indiana penitentiary and be fined up to $10,000, according to the Indiana Code.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Just up the way, the old penitentiary building is famously open for tours and purportedly haunted.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Oct. 2025
-
He was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 6:40 p.m. at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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