lockup

noun

lock·​up ˈläk-ˌəp 

1

: jail

especially : a local jail where persons are detained prior to court hearing

2

: an act of locking : the state of being locked

Synonyms of lockup

• jail
• prison
• penitentiary

Examples of lockup in a Sentence

the firm conviction that juvenile offenders should never be held in adult lockups

Recent Examples on the Web

Analysts are predicting volatility for the stock as lockup periods end and people sell shares. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office approved first-degree murder charges against Jamison, according to police, and he was set to be transferred to the Cook County sheriff’s lockup at the Markham courthouse. — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026

That demand, combined with its low float — as lockups keep insiders from selling shares for months — could put upward pressure on SpaceX shares. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

In October, his children made heartfelt pleas to a New York federal judge to see their father released from federal lockup after more than a year of incarceration. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lockup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• makeup
• markup
• pickup

Kids Definition

lockup

noun

lock·​up -ˌəp 

: prison sense 2, jail

Legal Definition

lockup

noun

lock·​up

1

: a cell or group of cells (as in a courthouse) or jail where persons are held prior to a court hearing compare house of correction, house of detention, jail, penitentiary, prison

2

: the tactic of arranging with a friendly party an option to buy a valuable portion of one's corporate assets in order to discourage a takeover by another party