as in jailing
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 locking (up)
Verb
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Most county-sheriff offices function much the way police departments do—investigating crimes, making arrests, and jailing people.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026 -
Orange County’s negotiations with the federal government to increase its reimbursement for jailing federal inmates and immigrant detainees could now last through the end of March.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Based on the way the regime is treating you and all these other political activists—imprisoning you all—what does that indicate about the regime?—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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For decades, the Islamic Republic has neutered its domestic opposition, imprisoning its critics including former presidents.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The fifth and sixth installments are loosely connected to this seventh film by the presence of the unusually tenacious twins Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown), who are inexplicably interning for Sidney’s longtime frenemy, journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox).—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
3 Mar. 2026
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The fifth and sixth installments are loosely connected to this seventh film by the presence of the unusually tenacious twins Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown), who are inexplicably interning for Sidney’s longtime frenemy, journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox).—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The governor’s bill would require any state agency charged with incarcerating people to follow the standards outlined in the federal law.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
20 Feb. 2026
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The announcement came as the House Rules Committee was considering resolutions to hold the Clintons in criminal contempt, which could have potentially led to the government imposing penalties and incarcerating them.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Locking (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locking%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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