Definition of lockdown
1 : the confinement of prisoners to their cells for all or most of the day as a temporary security measure
2 : an emergency measure or condition in which people are temporarily prevented from entering or leaving a restricted area or building (such as a school) during a threat of danger … the school went on lockdown when a student brought a pellet gun to campus. — Ian Gordon
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Recent Examples of lockdown from the Web
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The hotel was already on lockdown on Wednesday, and an army of landscapers have been busy planting fir trees around the perimeter, to protect coy billionaires and bashful bank bosses from any prying lenses.
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Authorities said the incident was isolated and a temporary lockdown of the facility was lifted late Thursday.
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A popular casino and hotel complex outside of the Philippine capital of Manila was placed on lockdown early Friday local time, after reports of gunfire and smoke coming from inside the resort.
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The lockdown appears to be the first to occur at the base since a shooting in April 2016 when a man killed his commanding officer before turning the gun on himself.
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Meanwhile, authorities declared an indefinite security lockdown in parts of Srinagar and other major cities and towns across the Kashmir Valley starting Sunday, which marks the beginning of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
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The next month, two other high schools in California were put on lockdown after threats of violence, and in Michigan, the police arrested Matthew Mullen, a student at Michigan State whose Yik Yak post threatened a shooting.
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Deputies searched for the suspect after the assault, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter at 8 a.m. Mountain View Middle School was placed on lockdown during the search.
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For the pleasantly paranoid, security features like file encryption and personal user key codes keep the recorder on lockdown.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lockdown'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
1973
First Known Use of lockdown
1973
Law Dictionary
lockdown
playLegal Definition of lockdown
: the confinement of prisoners to their cells for a temporary period as a security measure
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