self-locking

adjective

self-lock·​ing ˌself-ˈlä-kiŋ 

: locking by its own action

a self-locking door

a self-locking nut [=locknut]

Simply use self-locking cable ties (available in the electrical department of any hardware store) to secure the grate …

—Mattie Sue Athan and Dianalee Deter

Examples of self-locking in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fast self-locking tools turn customers from passive victims into active responders before the damage spreads. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 June 2026

All rope snaps must be self-closing and self-locking. — Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026

While self-locking carabiners, a harness, and a helmet are needed, other tools commonplace in mountaineering, like ropes and belay devices, are extraneous here. — AFAR Media, 30 Sep. 2025

Glide through the airport effortlessly with its deluxe retractable push-button and self-locking handle. — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2024

The gate should open away from the pool and have a self-locking mechanism. — Douglas MacMillan, Washington Post, 16 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-locking

• restocking
• sleepwalking
• unlocking
• blocking
• calking
• caulking
• chalking
• clocking
• cocking
• docking
• flocking
• gawking