dreadlock

noun

dread·​lock ˈdred-ˌläk How to pronounce dreadlock (audio)
plural dreadlocks
1
: a narrow ropelike strand of hair formed by matting, braiding, or twisting : lock
2
dreadlocks ˈdred-ˌläks How to pronounce dreadlock (audio) plural : a hairstyle consisting of dreadlocks : locks
dreadlocked adjective

Examples of dreadlock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Hopson was recently seen wearing dreadlocks but may have changed his hairstyle. Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Aug. 2025 Handcuffed to a chair while his dreadlocks were shaved off Landor had shown prison officials a copy of a court ruling that dreadlocks grown for religious reasons should be accommodated. Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025 The suspect, described by police and transit sources as a Black woman with red dreadlocks, broke into and moved an N train on the elevated tracks above Astoria shortly after 4 a.m., sources told The News. Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 17 July 2025 Motorcycles, smoking cigars, partying, dreadlocks… loves a fight, funny. Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for dreadlock

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dreadlock was in 1960

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Cite this Entry

“Dreadlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dreadlock. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.

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