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)
Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Garnett’s pivotal rulings came a day after a 35-year-old Minnesota man was charged with impersonating an FBI agent in an apparent attempt to spring Mangione from federal lockup in Brooklyn in a bizarre episode detailed in court documents.
—Adam Reiss, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
They are being held together at an immigration lockup in Dilley.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
These investments are typically illiquid and long-term, with multi-year lockups and limited redemption options.
—Fred Hubler, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
Owners reported sudden deceleration, downshifting, and temporary rear wheel lockups in 2015-2017 models.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Garnett’s pivotal rulings came a day after a 35-year-old Minnesota man was charged with impersonating an FBI agent in an apparent attempt to spring Mangione from federal lockup in Brooklyn in a bizarre episode detailed in court documents.
—Adam Reiss, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
They are being held together at an immigration lockup in Dilley.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
These investments are typically illiquid and long-term, with multi-year lockups and limited redemption options.
—Fred Hubler, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
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Gabrielsen and Frederick remain jailed in Moffat County, according to MCSO Sheriff Chip McIntyre.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
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His father was jailed twice as a political prisoner in Cuba, once for 16 days in 1961 and for 72 days in 1966.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The attack on the Michigan synagogue took place on the same day as a former Army National Guard member who served years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State group opened fire on a classroom at Old Dominion University in Virginia, killing one person and wounding two others.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
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The pair are believed to have been found guilty in an Iranian court of spying on behalf of both France and Israel and given long prison sentences, according to the BBC.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Assets were frozen, sanctions were threatened, UN resolutions were passed, but still the captives remained imprisoned.—
Bill Keane,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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Two months later, Mabrouk and his fellow plotters were arrested and imprisoned by the Ben Ali government.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Prisons employ hundreds of workers locally at two military facilities, the nation’s first federal penitentiary, a Kansas correctional facility and a county jail, all within six miles of City Hall.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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He was arrested again in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1961 and spent four months in a penitentiary where fellow Freedom Riders cried out in song each night.—
Veronica Ortega,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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