lock on

verb

variants or lock onto

locked on or locked onto; locking on or locking onto; locks on or locks onto

transitive verb

: 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

Sony has also added an infrared sensor to its third-generation eye tracker, which should keep things locked on in dim rooms. — New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2026

Identity and isolation are the walls; authorization is the lock on the door the agent is standing in front of. — Julian Durand, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

What that means is that drone hunter just locked on to the offending drone. — Norah O'Donnell, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026

The kidnapper’s long shadow fell across North Georgia, over Tennessee, all the way to Kentucky, where Joyce Smith’s parents put new locks on their doors. — Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lock on

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon