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)
Fred Hubler, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine is joining Venezuela’s president and the man charged with gunning down United Healthcare’s CEO in a notorious federal lockup in New York City.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
In addition to the physical upgrades, federal authorities have tried to crack down on crime inside the lockup.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
Prior to his move, Combs was being held in a Brooklyn federal lockup since his September 2024 arrest, first awaiting his trial and subsequent sentencing.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
These investments are typically illiquid and long-term, with multi-year lockups and limited redemption options.
—Fred Hubler, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine is joining Venezuela’s president and the man charged with gunning down United Healthcare’s CEO in a notorious federal lockup in New York City.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
In addition to the physical upgrades, federal authorities have tried to crack down on crime inside the lockup.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
Prior to his move, Combs was being held in a Brooklyn federal lockup since his September 2024 arrest, first awaiting his trial and subsequent sentencing.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
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The father and son, who sought asylum from Ecuador in December 2024, remain jailed in an ICE facility in Dilley, Texas.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
31 Jan. 2026
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Officers immediately tackled and arrested Kazmierczak, who was jailed on a preliminary third-degree assault charge, police spokesperson Trevor Folke said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Oscar Wilde was not the only Irishman locked up in an English prison to draw Proust’s attention.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
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Nguyen pleaded guilty last year to a felony charge and multiple misdemeanors and is now serving a seven-year prison sentence, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even the Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization that monitors and honors reporters imprisoned by authoritarian government regimes overseas, felt compelled to weigh in on Lemon’s arrest.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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Skylark by Paula McLain Set across two eras in Paris, Skylark follows Alouette Voland, a young woman unjustly imprisoned in the Salpêtrière asylum in 1664, and Kristof Larson, a medical resident in 1939 risking everything to protect his Jewish neighbors during the Nazi occupation.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Author Ta-Nehisi Coates, an 8-year-old in West Baltimore at the time of the murder, offers piercing commentary on the impact of both the initial crime and the succeeding one, the grievously unjust trial that put three kids in the penitentiary.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
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Central Time Wednesday following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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