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

But the economic upswing in Germany is not shared by steel and coal workers in the Ruhr area, where strikes for fair wages and a shortening of the sixty-hour work week prompt steel barons to order massive lockouts and layoffs. —Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025

Baldelli, 44, could return to managing after next fall even though a labor lockout is expected after next season. —Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 6 Dec. 2025

Verb

This has locked out new home buyers from entering the market and current homeowners from selling. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025

Still, the Redfin report predicts many Gen Z buyers and young families will still feel locked out of the market, even if these adjustments take place. —Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Dec. 2025

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