lock on
verb
variants
or lock onto
locked on or locked onto; locking on or locking onto; locks on or locks onto
: to acquire (something, such as a target or signal) automatically using a sensor (such as radar)
Examples of lock on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Start with the lock on your door because safety is key.
—
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
Colin cooks Ray meals, sleeps on the floor while Ray takes the bed, lets Ray shave his hair off, and wears a lock on a chain around his neck.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Gone is the American idea of an Irish pub, and in arrives a new wave of bars that lock on the beating heart of an Irish drinking establishment.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
Crinon had just exited the penalty box after elbowing Nathan MacKinnon in the chin; Wilson target-locked on Crinon and hit him cleanly before things devolved.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
During that incident, Shenyang J-15 jets from the Liaoning aircraft carrier reportedly acquired radar locks on Japanese F-15s near Okinawa.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026
Another common mistake is having the wrong lock on your bag.
—Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 13 Feb. 2026
This beer company had a 10-year lock on Super Bowl commercial supremacy.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The nation’s focus understandably locked on Minnesota after federal agents shot and killed intensive care nurse Alex Pretti.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
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Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
Colin cooks Ray meals, sleeps on the floor while Ray takes the bed, lets Ray shave his hair off, and wears a lock on a chain around his neck.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Gone is the American idea of an Irish pub, and in arrives a new wave of bars that lock on the beating heart of an Irish drinking establishment.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
Crinon had just exited the penalty box after elbowing Nathan MacKinnon in the chin; Wilson target-locked on Crinon and hit him cleanly before things devolved.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
During that incident, Shenyang J-15 jets from the Liaoning aircraft carrier reportedly acquired radar locks on Japanese F-15s near Okinawa.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026
Another common mistake is having the wrong lock on your bag.
—Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 13 Feb. 2026
This beer company had a 10-year lock on Super Bowl commercial supremacy.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The nation’s focus understandably locked on Minnesota after federal agents shot and killed intensive care nurse Alex Pretti.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lock on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lock%20on. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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