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
Often, kids are playing games on their phones, which are supposed to be locked away.
—
Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 26 May 2026
Often, kids are playing games on their phones, which are supposed to be locked away.
—ABC News, 25 May 2026
But the competitors, all boys and girls with intellectual disabilities, helped usher in a new and more inclusive era in sports, at a time when children with special needs were often locked away at home or shipped off to institutions.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 23 May 2026
They were considered to have strange physical afflictions or weak mental attitudes, and some people with endocrine diseases were even dismissed as ‘freaks’ and heckled in circuses or locked away in institutions.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lock away
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Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 26 May 2026
Often, kids are playing games on their phones, which are supposed to be locked away.
—ABC News, 25 May 2026
But the competitors, all boys and girls with intellectual disabilities, helped usher in a new and more inclusive era in sports, at a time when children with special needs were often locked away at home or shipped off to institutions.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 23 May 2026
They were considered to have strange physical afflictions or weak mental attitudes, and some people with endocrine diseases were even dismissed as ‘freaks’ and heckled in circuses or locked away in institutions.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 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 1 Jun. 2026.
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