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 influx of funding for the A’s comes at a critical moment for Major League Baseball, which is mired in labor negotiations with a possible lockout looming. — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 24 July 2026

The next season was wiped out to the NHL’s lockout, and when the league relaunched, the new rule changes worked against players like Hatcher. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026

Verb

Munster, who has extensively researched Ebola, was locked out of his lab soon after the January detention. — CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Younger millennials, meanwhile, remain locked out of the mechanism driving those gains. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 July 2026

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