1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

locks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lock
1
as in latches

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in wraps

Related Words

locks

2 of 2

noun

plural of lock
as in certainties
one that is certain to succeed the governor is regarded as a lock for his party's presidential nomination

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of locks
Noun
Any dollar that stays in Georgia is one that can’t be spent on competitive races in perennial battlegrounds like Maine, Michigan or Ohio — or new hot spots such as Iowa, Kansas and Texas where Republicans once were seen as locks. — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026 In 2019, Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported on the family’s battle with Joshua ISD officials, who said the long locks violated the district’s grooming policy. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Sep. 2026 Mayor Linda Gorton told me the city has handed out free gun locks and offered to buy back guns from residents, among other interventions. — Jenisha Watts, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026 Inside the glass vial lies the successor to the French company’s award-winning hair tonic, amped up with research into how the scalp’s microbiome influences your locks. — Dan Michel, Robb Report, 19 Sep. 2026 Bieber offset her tiny baby blue minidress with her nearly-black tresses, styling the dark locks in a long single ponytail with face-framing curtain bangs. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 19 Sep. 2026 Cregger uses first-person-shooter point-of-view shots, with the long barrel of a rifle or automatic weapon lining up our sights; one running gag sees Bryan, completely hopeless with guns, having to shoot the locks off of gates. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 On the ice were roster locks, some Rockford IceHogs skaters and new arrivals. — Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 Some of the projects focus educating people about safe firearm storage, including distributing safety devices like gun locks, to prevent accidental shootings and suicides, according to the release. — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for locks
  1. latches
  2. wraps
  3. chains
  4. folds
  5. shuts
  6. twines
  7. fastens
  8. encircles
Verb
  • Before unpacking and settling in, make sure your hotel room door fully closes and latches properly.
    — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Both the containers and lids are made from glass, and the lids are sealed with food-safe silicone that latches into place on both sides for an airtight design without leaks.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
Definition of latches
Verb
  • The plasma pasta then wraps around the black hole like spaghetti around a fork, but just like eating good pasta can be a messy affair, black holes spill a massive amount of stellar food.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Prongs sit under your nose, secured by tubing that wraps around the backs of your ears.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of wraps
Verb
  • Restaurant chains Chipotle and QDOBA pulled jalapeños last week.
    — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • To address this, Ivo uses a multi-step pipeline that chains together more than 400 model calls for each contract review.
    — Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of chains
Verb
  • The new version folds the song’s original orchestral arrangement into Electric Callboy’s blend of EDM and pop hooks, arriving a decade after the anime first premiered.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The fish folds its body, trying to turn or swim, the water nudging overtop.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of folds
Verb
  • There’s a brief pause, and then my phone goes haywire, inundated with Bluetooth signal spam — new Airpods connections, contact requests, an avalanche of popups that make my phone basically unusable until Hedge shuts it off.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Both failures are expensive in flood response, since a miss floods a warehouse and a false alarm shuts one down for no reason.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of shuts
Verb
  • Even so, the Tower of Dimon, sitting at the intersection of finance and real estate, twines itself literally through the physical city, from the train tunnels below to the sidewalk and up to the skyline — and through its urban culture, too.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 12 Nov. 2025
Definition of twines
Verb
  • Unique to the mid-top is a metal hook that fastens its collar strap, replacing the plastic hook traditionally seen on the Air Force 1 Mid.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • My favorite detail is the red ribbon on Giovanna’s right shoulder, which fastens her sleeve to her dress and floats over the darkness.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of fastens
Verb
  • In May, the Georgia Department of Transportation closed a major section of the road, which encircles the city of Atlanta and connects much of the greater metro area, sending both intra- and interstate traffic through the city.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The paint color that encircles the wallpaper is important, but Chloe Redmond Warner says the bread should be the least exciting part of this sandwich.
    — Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of encircles

Browse Nearby Words

lockouts
locks
locks horns
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Locks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locks. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bellwether

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All