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

On paper, the build aims to combine a more solid, confidence-inspiring lockup with the kind of smooth deployment EDC users expect from a modern premium folder. — New Atlas, 9 July 2026

While index inclusion will put upward pressure on the stock, expiring lockups over the coming weeks and months will likely add downward pressure as insiders unload shares. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 6 July 2026

SpaceX, however, took the flexible lockup approach, wrapped it in a puzzle, strapped it to an enigma, and sent it to live in a colony on Mars. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 July 2026

In at least 38 instances, the ring flew six large-payload drones to deliver contraband to federal lockups in Atlanta and Jesup, and at prisons in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 25 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