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)
Andrew Blankstein, NBC news, 6 June 2025
During times when IPOs are hot and stocks are flying after their debut, investors are incentivized to hold and pocket the gains after the lockup period expires.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 27 May 2025
That plan depended on the judge sending the defendant back to lockup, even though he had been released from custody.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 17 May 2025
She was sprung early from federal lockup in July 2023, after serving 1 year, 9 months, and 20 days..
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Noun
Outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal lockup, federal agents stood guard amid shouting protesters and ultimately fired less-lethal rounds to clear the area in front of the structure, according to NBC Los Angeles video and imagery posted to social media verified by NBC News.
—Andrew Blankstein, NBC news, 6 June 2025
During times when IPOs are hot and stocks are flying after their debut, investors are incentivized to hold and pocket the gains after the lockup period expires.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 27 May 2025
That plan depended on the judge sending the defendant back to lockup, even though he had been released from custody.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 17 May 2025
She was sprung early from federal lockup in July 2023, after serving 1 year, 9 months, and 20 days..
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lock (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lock (up)
Verb
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He’d been arrested and jailed after the victim’s death on unrelated charges in a different jurisdiction.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
25 June 2025
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Venus' killer fled the scene and was never found, but the subjects of I'm Your Venus uncover new details related to the murder that weren't publicized at the time of the performer's death — including a disturbing confession from an unidentified man previously jailed over a rape case.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
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All charges are felonies, and each carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of three years due to the use of a firearm.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2025
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What To Know Shannon McShane was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to influencing a public servant, perjury, and retaliation against a witness or victim.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Verb
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More than 200 Venezuelan nationals accused of gang affiliations were transferred to El Salvador, where they were imprisoned in the country's high-security mega-prison.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
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It was focused on feeding the poor, taking care of the sick and elderly, and feeding those imprisoned in York Castle, and was self-sufficient until the rise of the Reformation movement.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
20 June 2025
Noun
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On top of her one-year sentence on obscenity charges, Adams was sentenced to six months at a women’s penitentiary—a pair of punishments that allowed authorities to start considering whether to ship her back to Poland upon her release from prison.—
Kellie B. Gormly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
26 June 2025
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Weger was taken to the Illinois state penitentiary in Joliet to begin his life sentence.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lock (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lock%20%28up%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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