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

He's been a model of consistency over his 20 seasons in D.C. The Russian winger has never scored fewer than 30 goals in a full non-pandemic or lockout season and, prior to this year, had missed just 35 total career games due to injury. —Everett Cook, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025

The rear suspension works through a four-pivot system with no adjustability or lockout (an air-adjustable shock is an option). —William Roberson, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

Verb

There were also changes to pricing, employees who were locked out of their accounts and a change to the fonts on the system, the complaint says. —Chris Spargo, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025

In the government's view, this forced rivals to nibble around the edges after being locked out by Google's contracts. —Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 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