lock 1 of 2

verb

Definition of locknext
1
as in to latch

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in to wrap

Related Words

lock

2 of 2

noun

as in certainty
one that is certain to succeed the governor is regarded as a lock for his party's presidential nomination

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lock
Verb
In a Facebook post, the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office warned all residents north of Appaloosa Drive and South of John Call Road near the Yukon Road area to lock all doors and windows and remain inside. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 At its secret premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last month, audience members were required to lock their phones in pouches and warned that security guards with night-vision goggles would be watching for anyone trying to record the screening. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
The bag had a shoulder strap and, like the Kelly, had a lock and key. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026 That means Clemson, the only ACC team with one conference loss, would be a lock for the title game against Miami, right? — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock
  1. latch
  2. wrap
  3. certainty
  4. shut
  5. fold
  6. slam dunk
  7. bolt
  8. twine
Verb
  • Simply latch and unlatch to organize your favorite items in seconds.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Content creators latch onto specific sticky moments, and the context created by the atmosphere informs coverage, especially for journalists covering the runways with a wider cultural lens.
    — Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of latch
Verb
  • For now, this is an intriguing proof of concept, a tantalizing glimpse of what electric mobility might look like someday, and a technology wrapped in enough engineering jargon to make the average driver’s eyes glaze over.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026
  • In the photos, she is seen standing knee-deep in the water before wrapping a towel over her body to dry off.
    — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrap
Noun
  • But every business partner of Musk must be thinking that certainty may not be possible when dealing with the world's wealthiest person.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The deal gives the Timberwolves another year of cost certainty in managing future salary caps around the next maximum contracts anticipated for star guards Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of certainty
Verb
  • Long enough that a couple of us expected thermal protection to eventually shut the party down.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
  • For those sheltering in place, the city advised shutting windows and doors, turning off AC units drawing in outside air and keeping pets inside.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of shut
Verb
  • Adrien Michel, winner of the 2025 le19M Métiers d’Art Prize, introduced a capsule inspired by Marcel Breuer’s Cesca B34 chair, anchored by a shirt that folds out of a leather case made with Studio MTX.
    — Tina Isaac-Goizé, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Robots learn from experiments A separate Google project tested whether agents could improve DNA aptamers, short molecules that fold into shapes capable of attaching to specific proteins.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of fold
Noun
  • Unlike Fox’s signature play Wednesday, the Spurs’ new starting lineup is not yet a slam dunk.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • As the camera focused on a star player making a touchdown or a slam dunk, the faces of the fans behind them would coalesce into a colorful, murky abstraction.
    — Ryan Sullivan, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of slam dunk
Verb
  • In From Day One As countries build generation-defining infrastructure—road and rail tunnels, smart stadiums and hospital precincts—connectivity is too often bolted on late in construction.
    — Stephen Farrugia, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Captured on video surveillance cameras, the three thieves were seen grabbing hundreds of trading cards and bolting from the shop in less than 10 minutes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of bolt
Verb
  • Description This perennial member of the Fabaceae family produces long, slender vines that climb by twining or spread horizontally along the ground.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Blooms provide an early source of nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators, while songbirds shelter and build nests among the twining branches.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 July 2026
Definition of twine

Phrases Containing lock

Browse Nearby Words

loci classici
lock
lockbox
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lock

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lock

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All