as in to jail
to put in or as if in prison
if they catch you, they're going to lock you up and throw away the key!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the firm conviction that juvenile offenders should never be held in adult lockups
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lock (up)
Luisa Beltran, Sportico.com, 5 Mar. 2026
He’s being held at a federal lockup in Brooklyn.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
Owners reported sudden deceleration, downshifting, and temporary rear wheel lockups in 2015-2017 models.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
They are being held together at an immigration lockup in Dilley.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
Another factor likely contributing to StubHub’s falling share price is the expiration of its 180-day lockup.
—Luisa Beltran, Sportico.com, 5 Mar. 2026
He’s being held at a federal lockup in Brooklyn.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
Owners reported sudden deceleration, downshifting, and temporary rear wheel lockups in 2015-2017 models.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
They are being held together at an immigration lockup in Dilley.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
-
The man remained jailed on Saturday on a $2 million bond, according to jail records.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2026
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Maduro and Flores remain jailed in Brooklyn, and neither has asked to be released on bail.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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He was beaten by security forces, arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
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During his 12-year pontificate, Francis famously celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual by traveling to Rome-area prisons and refugee centers to wash the feet of people most on society’s margins.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even after bringing him back stateside on a federal judge’s orders, criminal and immigration prosecutors have not stopped either trying to imprison or deport him, throwing the full weight of the federal government against one ordinary man.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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The Tribune found Chicago’s final costs to resolve claims in murder exonerations since 2010 averaged nearly $560,000 for each year the person was wrongfully imprisoned — and nearly $100,000 of that amount went to pay private lawyers.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But Wood’s penitentiary is considerably sturdier.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
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The former president was hospitalized on March 13 after feeling ill at the Papuda penitentiary in the Brazilian capital.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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