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!

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for locked (up)
  1. imprisoned
  2. jailed
  3. interned
  4. incarcerated
  5. confined
Verb
  • The politically outspoken Panahi has been repeatedly imprisoned and put under house arrest by Iranian authorities over the years.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Cromer was imprisoned for committing a physical assault, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections said.
    — Anna Meiler, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of imprisoned
Verb
  • Yaxley-Lennon previously had been jailed for assault, mortgage fraud and contempt of court.
    — Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Yaxley-Lennon has previously been jailed for assault, mortgage fraud and contempt of court.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of jailed
Verb
  • The location is where more than 13,000 Japanese Americans were interned during World War II.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Giovanna Flores had Cianciolo as a teacher her sophomore year, interned for the designer, and then assisted her postgrad.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of interned
Verb
  • Two men incarcerated at California State Prison, Sacramento have been accused in a fatal attack on a third inmate, prison officials said Tuesday.
    — Senior Editor, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Mendoza has been incarcerated at the facility since March 2017.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of incarcerated
Verb
  • In preparation, she was confined in progressively smaller spaces, spun in a centrifuge, and trained to eat food in jellied form.
    — Ethan Teekah All, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Oct. 2026
  • For five months, most of the 17 crew would remain confined to that space, no more than 50 feet long, seated, leaving only when escorted to the bathroom.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

locked out
locked (up)
locker
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Locked (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locked%20%28up%29. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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