as in to jail
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
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the firm conviction that juvenile offenders should never be held in adult lockups
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lock (up)
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Movement lockups and inventory issues when using the Proximity Mine gadget.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
Once Joe left alone — with Halsey (Phil Burke), the suspect, in lockup — the lights flicker out.
—Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2025
The report proposes changes that are intended to ease overcrowding in the lockups and assist neighborhood that would have the new, smaller jails.
—Hurubie Meko, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
Has anyone in lockup ever had as immaculate a cut, color, brow, and lippie game than Ms. Clark?
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Movement lockups and inventory issues when using the Proximity Mine gadget.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
Once Joe left alone — with Halsey (Phil Burke), the suspect, in lockup — the lights flicker out.
—Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2025
The report proposes changes that are intended to ease overcrowding in the lockups and assist neighborhood that would have the new, smaller jails.
—Hurubie Meko, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
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From elsewhere The immigrant families jailed in Texas [New Yorker] My former colleague Jack Herrera reports that under the Trump administration, ICE is jailing families who have lived in the U.S. for years and is sending them to Texas.—
Fidel Martinez,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Under the new Trump Administration, ICE is jailing not just families encountered at the border but also families who have been here for years.—
Jack Herrera,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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At times self-reflective and at times defiant, Peterson’s declaration after two decades in prison — most of those on Death Row — offers his most detailed version of a story that continues to capture international attention.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2025
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Mangione could face life in prison on state charges alone In addition to the federal indictment, Mangione has been charged in Pennsylvania and New York.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Currently, more than 1,500 people are imprisoned on political grounds in Russia, according to a tally by OVD-Info, with Moscow’s crackdown on dissent escalating since the war began.—
Mariya Knight,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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Weinstein, who was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in 2024, had been imprisoned on Rikers Island.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Barnes, 67, was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in a Russian penitentiary in February 2024.—
Tanya Stukalova,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
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The first penitentiaries weren’t built until the late 1700s, so more extreme sentences were deemed necessary to prevent discord.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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