lock
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
lahkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlɑk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination.
A segment of a canal or other navigable waterway enclosed by gates, used for raising and lowering boats between levels.
A device for keeping a wheel from turning.
Any wrestling hold in which some part of the opponent's body is twisted or pressured
A grapple in wrestling.
A fastening together or interlacing; a closing of one thing upon another; a state of being fixed or immovable.
verb
intransitive
To become fastened in place.
To seize (e.g. the sword arm of an antagonist) by turning one's left arm around it, to disarm them.
intransitive
To be capable of becoming fastened in place.
transitive
To intertwine or dovetail.
transitive
To fasten with a lock.
Pass by means through a lock in a waterway
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination.
Used this way, lock is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use lock
- “He was locked in a laughing fit.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of locking something up to protect it.
A storage compartment for clothes and valuables.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A room (as at an athletic facility or workplace) where you can change clothes and which contains lockers for the temporary storage of your clothing and personal possessions.
Prevent employees from working during a strike.
Close with or as if with a tight seal.
Pliers that can be locked in place.
A gate that can be locked.
Enclosure consisting of a section of canal that can be closed to control the water level.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.