LOCKING (UP) Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

locking (up)

verb

present participle of lock (up)

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!

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for locking (up)

Verb

The government has been widely accused of stealing elections, jailing dissidents and stifling freedom of speech.

— Clyburn Saint John, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Rodríguez's administration denies the country is jailing dissidents.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of jailing

Verb

Despite its lengthy history of imprisoning Americans on questionable charges, Russia has not faced the designation, which was applied to Iran in February and Afghanistan in March.

— Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Many governments are doing this through surveillance, monitoring social media, doxxing, creating AI deepfakes and even forcibly repatriating critics in exile and imprisoning them.

— Mary Lind, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of imprisoning

Verb

Some Alvernia students are already interning with federal agencies and completing work that requires secret security clearances.

— Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
High school students interning at an observatory in Hawaii have successfully imaged a pair of colliding spiral galaxies located deep within overlapping cultural constellations.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of interning

Verb

Demolishing universities, assaulting the press, violently resegregating the public sphere, ramming degenerative AI down our throats, incarcerating mere zine makers, the regime is systematically repealing the right to culture.

— Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
The goal is to reduce violence, get people proper resources, and avoid the cycle of incarcerating people dealing with poverty, addiction, and mental health.

— Scott Maucione, NPR, 27 July 2026

Definition of incarcerating

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locking out

locking (up)

lock out

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“Locking (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locking%20%28up%29. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of locking (up)

verb

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