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

If Iran sanctions end, then the amount of oil which is locked away in floating storage will not increase as last year. —Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

The rare isotope is mostly locked away deep within our world’s innards, but vanishingly small quantities are belched out in volcanic eruptions and through natural gas pipelines. —Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 14 May 2026

The Strait of Hormuz may be closed, locking away more than 20% of the world’s supply of jet fuel. —Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 May 2026

Meanwhile, the housing market has been frozen for years, locking away access to America’s wealth engine for would-be homebuyers. —David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 May 2026

Rhymes for lock away

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway