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
-
Some unauthorized immigrants in Abbotsford would rather self-deport than risk being jailed and forcefully returned to their native country.—
Rick Barrett,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
He had previously been jailed for a scam involving around 350 people and over £6 million.—
Felipe Schrieberg,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Jones was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in 1996 and was in prison until 2021.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The law mandates that second-degree persistent felony offenders be sentenced to a prison term within the penalty range for the next highest degree of felony.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What of Daedalus, the architect who created the awful labyrinth imprisoning both the Minotaur and his victims?—
Natalie Zutter
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
-
One of the authors of their most recent prison abuse report is currently imprisoned.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Video released by the prison shows large chunks of debris flying off the roof with what appears to be billows of black storm clouds above the penitentiary.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
11 Aug. 2025
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In the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, a Russian glide bomb attack on a local penitentiary killed 17 inmates and wounded more than 80 others in one of the deadliest strikes in the region to date.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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