LOCKED (UP) Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

locked (up)

verb

past tense of lock (up)

as in imprisoned

to put in or as if in prison if they catch you, they're going to lock you up and throw away the key!

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for locked (up)

Verb

He has been imprisoned for his role in the killing since 2023, entering a plea of not guilty.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
Baker and Obeidat penned a BBC News investigation on the website last year that confirmed he was imprisoned by the Assad regime.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of imprisoned

Verb

Anyone possessing marijuana for personal use can be jailed for a month, while distribution and sales are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment depending on the amount seized.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
Porter County Sheriff's Office records show Dolnics remained jailed without bond on July 29.

— Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 29 July 2026

Definition of jailed

Verb

Lake previously interned at the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and has worked as a legal intern and translator in Beijing, China.

— Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2026
One of our young people in Tulsa, Oklahoma, interned at a company in their risk management department.

— Byron V. Garrett, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of interned

Verb

In 1974, the word appeared in a New York Times story about an outbreak of violence among people incarcerated at San Quentin Prison.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Officials alleged that some billed Medicaid for services that were never provided, including care purportedly delivered while aides or recipients were incarcerated, hospitalized, traveling overseas, or working other jobs.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of incarcerated

Verb

Yet many still fail to reach their full potential because the directors are insufficiently engaged, inadequately challenged or possibly confined to narrow definitions of their role.

— James Langabeer, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
The hot and windy trend will not be confined to eastern Washington.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of confined

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.

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locked out

locked (up)

locker

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“Locked (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locked%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of locked (up)

verb

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