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)
Christina Hall, Freep.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The pilot was initially held at a local lockup in New Orleans before he was transferred to the Johnson County Jail on Saturday.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025
Diddy’s team has contended that an appropriate guidelines range would be a sentence of 21 to 27 months in federal lockup.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
Prosecutors also said conditions at the federal lockup had improved considerably before Combs was arrested.
—Larry Neumeister, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
Christopher Gibson accused officers of shocking him with a stun gun, threatening him with a police dog and assaulting him in the city lockup.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The pilot was initially held at a local lockup in New Orleans before he was transferred to the Johnson County Jail on Saturday.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025
Diddy’s team has contended that an appropriate guidelines range would be a sentence of 21 to 27 months in federal lockup.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
Prosecutors also said conditions at the federal lockup had improved considerably before Combs was arrested.
—Larry Neumeister, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
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Since 1986, employers have required to verify workers' eligibility to work, and can be fined or jailed if caught knowingly breaking the law.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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The Atlanta rapper was jailed from May 9, 2022, through October 31, 2024, and in the past week, several of his alleged phone conversations have been released to the public through social media.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
My dad would always play documentaries about prison life and stuff that would come on Discovery ID or, every now and then, even national news segments.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
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Through the deal, prosecutors dropped the two murder charges — and shipped Henry, 26, off to prison for 10 years — in exchange for his plea.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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He and Steve Bannon were each held in contempt of Congress and imprisoned for four months after the DOJ prosecuted them.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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The suspect has not practiced medicine since 2017 and hasn't been imprisoned throughout the eight-year investigation, France 24 noted.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At Parchman, the state’s troubled penitentiary, corrections workers were urging their colleagues to sign up.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
26 Aug. 2025
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After his conviction, Gray was sent to Angola, one of the most violent penitentiaries in the country at the time.—
Richard A. Webster,
ProPublica,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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