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
Explore M-W
Recent Examples of lockdown from the Web
-
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A lab explosion at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida led to some brief evacuations and a base lockdown, but no injuries have been reported.
-
Both exercises come a day after a lockdown at Redstone Arsenal over reports of an active shooter and a separate report of a suspicious person at Browns Ferry.
-
The arsenal was placed on lockdown yesterday morning around 10:20 a.m. after two 911 calls reported an active shooter inside the Sparkman Center.
-
Live updates: Redstone Arsenal remains on lockdown amid reports of an active shooter.
-
Southwestern College was placed on lockdown Monday afternoon after a male with a gun was seen running toward the Chula Vista campus, police said.
-
The school was placed in lockdown, with all doors and windows secured.
-
An Afghan woman was recently kept with her two children at a Texas detention lockdown for six months.
-
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.
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.
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
Learn More about lockdown
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up lockdown? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!