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)
Sarah Min, CNBC, 13 July 2025
CoreCivic runs four private state prisons in Tennessee and has dozens more jails, prisons, reentry centers and federal immigration lockups across the country.
—Kelly Puente, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Whether or not Melendez or any of these men ever walk free, what was once California’s most notorious lockup is now a place that offers them the chance to change and provides the most elusive of emotions for prisoners — hope.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
The ostentatious patriarch, 56, and his 52-year-old wife were released from federal lockup in the hours after the president signed off on one of his latest batches of controversial pardons.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
The treatment stems from the perception that private investments have risks such as a lack of transparency, which raises predatory concerns, as well as higher fees and long lockup periods.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 13 July 2025
CoreCivic runs four private state prisons in Tennessee and has dozens more jails, prisons, reentry centers and federal immigration lockups across the country.
—Kelly Puente, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Whether or not Melendez or any of these men ever walk free, what was once California’s most notorious lockup is now a place that offers them the chance to change and provides the most elusive of emotions for prisoners — hope.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
The ostentatious patriarch, 56, and his 52-year-old wife were released from federal lockup in the hours after the president signed off on one of his latest batches of controversial pardons.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
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Chavez said his first two days of unrestricted freedom have been a whirlwind, reuniting with friends and family, and finally getting to meaningfully connect with his daughter, who was born right around the time he was first jailed.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
28 July 2025
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Uribe joins a list of Latin American leaders who have been convicted and sometimes jailed, including Peru’s Alberto Fujimori, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez and Panama’s Ricardo Martinelli.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
Noun
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Widmer was convicted of murder at his third trial in 2011, and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.—
Victoria Moorwood,
The Enquirer,
31 July 2025
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Brendan Doyle, who was also convicted of identity theft and robbery, was sentenced last year to 28 years and eight months to life in prison.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 July 2025
Verb
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The chapel, constructed between 1519 and 1520 under Henry VIII, serves as the final resting place for famous historical figures like Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Thomas More, John Fisher and Lady Jane Grey, all of whom who were imprisoned and beheaded at the Tower.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 July 2025
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The trailer starts out with Starlight saving Sinclair’s blood-bending hero Marie from the mysterious hospital room where she was imprisoned in the Season 1 finale.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
25 July 2025
Noun
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But local officials and historians have questioned the practical and symbolic implications of converting the island back into a penitentiary.—
Kate Talerico,
Mercury News,
17 July 2025
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Her various occupations, paid and unpaid, included teaching convicts at an area penitentiary and substitute-teaching in junior high.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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