lock away
verb
locked away; locking away; locks away
1
: to put (something) in a locked container, place, etc.
The jewelry was locked away in a cabinet.
2
: to put (someone) in a locked place (such as a prison) for a long period of time
lock away a criminal
The state locked their sister away in a psychiatric hospital.
3
: to keep (oneself) alone in a room or place for a long period of time
He locked himself away in his room while he studied.
He was locked away in his room while he studied.
Examples of lock away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When separate channels have data locked away, AI can’t get the job done.
—
Tomas Gorny, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
In the local high school, those older kids also have their phones locked away in pouches during the school day.
—Leigh Kiniry, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Excessive carbon dioxide can lock away too much calcium and disrupt beneficial reactions.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 June 2026
For almost the entire film, our view of the interplanetary visitors is confined to low-resolution, black-and-white video from the ‘70s on monitor banks, previously locked away in the WARDEX vaults.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for lock away
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Tomas Gorny, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
In the local high school, those older kids also have their phones locked away in pouches during the school day.
—Leigh Kiniry, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Excessive carbon dioxide can lock away too much calcium and disrupt beneficial reactions.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 June 2026
For almost the entire film, our view of the interplanetary visitors is confined to low-resolution, black-and-white video from the ‘70s on monitor banks, previously locked away in the WARDEX vaults.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for lock away
Cite this Entry
“Lock away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lock%20away. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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