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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.
When Landor couldn’t immediately meet the warden’s demand for court documentation of his religious beliefs, he was handcuffed to a chair while his dreadlocks were shaved off. Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025 The Supreme Court today will weigh whether a devout Rastafarian can bring a damages claim against Louisiana prison officials who cut his dreadlocks in violation of his religious rights. Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 10 Nov. 2025 Just three years before, in a case about another inmate in Louisiana, a federal appeals court had affirmed that Rastafarians must be allowed to keep their dreadlocks under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 6 Nov. 2025 The 37-year-old singer covered the top of her blond dreadlocks with a black hair head wrap, calling attention to her soft glam and bleached eyebrows. Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 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 29 Nov. 2025.

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