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
locked out; locking out; locks out
: to subject (a body of employees) to a lockout
Examples of lockout in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 11 Sep. 2023
The attack has reportedly led to a shutdown of the casinos and a lockout of guests from their hotel rooms.
—Christopher Hutton, Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2023
After a strike was announced, Ascension announced a four-day lockout of union nurses.
—Ilana Arougheti, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023
Webb injured his right ankle during the MLB lockout, which bothered him throughout the season.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2023
The Celtics traded Davis to the Magic just as the 2011 lockout ended, a sign-and-trade deal for Brandon Bass.
—Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2023
Blocks assist in strengthening specific portions of the bench press movement, particularly the lockout phase.
—Talene Appleton, Men's Health, 30 June 2023
Before the lockout, negotiations between the union and Kinzie management had been scheduled for Sept. 19, the union said.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
As the strike and lockout dragged on for 4½ months, some workers began to grumble about the union leaders’ strategy and Icaza’s salary ($273,404 in 2002), which resembled that of a corporate boss.
—Helen Li, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
Wes Davis, The Verge, 28 Oct. 2023
If the number had gone down, I probably would’ve been locked out of the edit.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Nov. 2023
Elsewhere reports surfaced that laid off Twitter employees were simply locked out of their laptops overnight, while ex-Google staffers told Fortune they were sent off-boarding documents via email.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023
Ten hours later, he was given a one-hour window to return home before the checkpoint closed and he was locked out—or in—for the next two days.
—WIRED, 7 Nov. 2023
In the event of being locked out, Tenant is forbidden from repeatedly running toward yet continually failing to grasp the bottom rung of the fire escape—as well as asking passersby for a boost—in an attempt to avoid paying the $50 key-replacement fee.
—Sam Spero, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Blendon Township police officers were in a Kroger's parking lot assisting a driver who was locked out of her car when a store employee told one of the officers that someone who had allegedly stolen bottles of alcohol was fleeing, Police Chief John Belton said in a statement after the shooting.
—Brittany Gaddy, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2023
Body-camera video shows Blendon Township police officers were already in the lot assisting another woman who had been locked out of her car when a store employee approached them and claimed a woman had stolen bottles of alcohol before entering a car parked in a handicap space outside the store.
—Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
The message that the major studios and streamers would not succeed by attempting to wait out the U.S. actors union was echoed by around 75 ACTRA members who demonstrated alongside Crabtree-Ireland in support of performers in TV commercials who have been locked out.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2023
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Noun
Riverview Elementary School dismissed students after a brief lockout, and Lansdowne High School students had already been dismissed when the campus was placed on lockdown status, according to county schools spokesperson Charles Herndon.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 11 Sep. 2023
The attack has reportedly led to a shutdown of the casinos and a lockout of guests from their hotel rooms.
—Christopher Hutton, Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2023
After a strike was announced, Ascension announced a four-day lockout of union nurses.
—Ilana Arougheti, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023
Webb injured his right ankle during the MLB lockout, which bothered him throughout the season.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2023
The Celtics traded Davis to the Magic just as the 2011 lockout ended, a sign-and-trade deal for Brandon Bass.
—Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2023
Blocks assist in strengthening specific portions of the bench press movement, particularly the lockout phase.
—Talene Appleton, Men's Health, 30 June 2023
Before the lockout, negotiations between the union and Kinzie management had been scheduled for Sept. 19, the union said.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
As the strike and lockout dragged on for 4½ months, some workers began to grumble about the union leaders’ strategy and Icaza’s salary ($273,404 in 2002), which resembled that of a corporate boss.
—Helen Li, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
Verb
The problems range from missing apps to constant crashes to being locked out of internal storage entirely on one of their device’s user accounts.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 28 Oct. 2023
If the number had gone down, I probably would’ve been locked out of the edit.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Nov. 2023
Elsewhere reports surfaced that laid off Twitter employees were simply locked out of their laptops overnight, while ex-Google staffers told Fortune they were sent off-boarding documents via email.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023
Ten hours later, he was given a one-hour window to return home before the checkpoint closed and he was locked out—or in—for the next two days.
—WIRED, 7 Nov. 2023
In the event of being locked out, Tenant is forbidden from repeatedly running toward yet continually failing to grasp the bottom rung of the fire escape—as well as asking passersby for a boost—in an attempt to avoid paying the $50 key-replacement fee.
—Sam Spero, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Blendon Township police officers were in a Kroger's parking lot assisting a driver who was locked out of her car when a store employee told one of the officers that someone who had allegedly stolen bottles of alcohol was fleeing, Police Chief John Belton said in a statement after the shooting.
—Brittany Gaddy, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2023
Body-camera video shows Blendon Township police officers were already in the lot assisting another woman who had been locked out of her car when a store employee approached them and claimed a woman had stolen bottles of alcohol before entering a car parked in a handicap space outside the store.
—Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
The message that the major studios and streamers would not succeed by attempting to wait out the U.S. actors union was echoed by around 75 ACTRA members who demonstrated alongside Crabtree-Ireland in support of performers in TV commercials who have been locked out.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lockout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
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Cite this Entry
“Lockout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lockout. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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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
More from Merriam-Webster on lockout
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lockout
Nglish: Translation of lockout for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lockout
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