lockout

1 of 2

noun

lock·​out ˈläk-ˌau̇t 

: the withholding of employment by an employer and the whole or partial closing of the business establishment in order to gain concessions from or resist demands of employees

lock out

2 of 2

verb

locked out; locking out; locks out

transitive verb

: to subject (a body of employees) to a lockout

Examples of lockout in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The class also has a large lockout trunk for divers. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Nov. 2025

With a potential lockout looming, trading away a top starter at a relative affordable price would invite scrutiny. —Will Sammon, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

Verb

And even after the government reopened, nearly 9,000 children remained locked out of the program. —Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 23 Nov. 2025

But despite having full-time jobs, many families are locked out of the rental housing market, due to low wages, soaring rents and poor credit, and have been pushed into homelessness. —CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1853, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lockout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

lockout

noun

lock·​out -ˌau̇t 

: the stopping of work or closing of a plant by an employer during a labor dispute in order to make the employees come to terms

Legal Definition

lockout

noun

lock·​out ˈläk-ˌau̇t 

: the withholding of employment by an employer in order to gain concessions from or resist demands of employees