Library / English Dictionary

LOCK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any wrestling hold in which some part of the opponent's body is twisted or pressured

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("lock" is a kind of...):

wrestling hold (a hold used in the sport of wrestling)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lock"):

hammerlock (a wrestling hold in which the opponent's arm is twisted up behind his back)

headlock (a wrestling hold in which the opponent's head is locked between the crook of your elbow and the side of your body)

Derivation:

lock (become engaged or intermeshed with one another)

lock (hold in a locking position)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("lock" is a kind of...):

fastener; fastening; fixing; holdfast (restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place)

Meronyms (parts of "lock"):

bolt; deadbolt (the part of a lock that is engaged or withdrawn with a key)

tumbler (a movable obstruction in a lock that must be adjusted to a given position (as by a key) before the bolt can be thrown)

keyhole (the hole where a key is inserted)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lock"):

sash fastener; sash lock; window lock (a lock attached to the sashes of a double hung window that can fix both in the shut position)

padlock (a detachable lock; has a hinged shackle that can be passed through the staple of a hasp or the links in a chain and then snapped shut)

lever lock (a lock whose tumblers are levers that must be raised to a given position so that the bolt can move)

door latch; latch (spring-loaded doorlock that can only be opened from the outside with a key)

doorlock (a lock on an exterior door)

cylinder lock (a lock in which a cylinder rotates to move a bolt; tumblers are pins; inserting the key lifts and aligns the pins to free the cylinder to rotate)

combination lock (lock that can be opened only by turning dials in a special sequence)

Holonyms ("lock" is a part of...):

drawer (a boxlike container in a piece of furniture; made so as to slide in and out)

gate (a movable barrier in a fence or wall)

door (a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle)

lid (a movable top or cover (hinged or separate) for closing the opening at the top of a box, chest, jar, pan, etc.)

Derivation:

lock (fasten with a lock)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A restraint incorporated into the ignition switch to prevent the use of a vehicle by persons who do not have the key

Synonyms:

ignition lock; lock

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("lock" is a kind of...):

constraint; restraint (a device that retards something's motion)

Holonyms ("lock" is a part of...):

ignition switch (switch that operates a solenoid that closes a circuit to operate the starter)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Enclosure consisting of a section of canal that can be closed to control the water level; used to raise or lower vessels that pass through it

Synonyms:

lock; lock chamber

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("lock" is a kind of...):

enclosure (a structure consisting of an area that has been enclosed for some purpose)

Holonyms ("lock" is a part of...):

canal (long and narrow strip of water made for boats or for irrigation)

Derivation:

lock (build locks in order to facilitate the navigation of vessels)

lock (pass by means through a lock in a waterway)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A mechanism that detonates the charge of a gun

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("lock" is a kind of...):

mechanism (device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function)

Holonyms ("lock" is a part of...):

firearm; piece; small-arm (a portable gun)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A strand or cluster of hair

Synonyms:

curl; lock; ringlet; whorl

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("lock" is a kind of...):

hair (a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lock"):

sausage curl (a fat sausage-shaped curl)

forelock (a lock of hair growing (or falling) over the forehead)

crimp (a lock of hair that has been artificially waved or curled)

dreadlock (one of many long thin braids of hair radiating from the scalp; popularized by Rastafarians)

Holonyms ("lock" is a part of...):

coif; coiffure; hair style; hairdo; hairstyle (the arrangement of the hair (especially a woman's hair))

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Become rigid or immoveable

Example:

The therapist noticed that the patient's knees tended to lock in this exercise

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

engage (get caught)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Antonym:

unlock (become unlocked)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Place in a place where something cannot be removed or someone cannot escape

Example:

She locked her jewels in the safe

Synonyms:

lock; lock away; lock in; lock up; put away; shut away; shut up

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

confine (prevent from leaving or from being removed)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Fasten with a lock

Example:

lock the bike to the fence

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lock"):

padlock (fasten with a padlock)

bolt (secure or lock with a bolt)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Antonym:

unlock (open the lock of)

unlock (become unlocked)

Also:

lock up (place in a place where something cannot be removed or someone cannot escape)

lock up (secure by locking)

Derivation:

locker (a fastener that locks or closes)

lock (a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Keep engaged

Example:

engaged the gears

Synonyms:

engage; lock; mesh; operate

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lock"):

flip; switch; throw (cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation)

ride (keep partially engaged by slightly depressing a pedal with the foot)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Become engaged or intermeshed with one another

Example:

They were locked in embrace

Synonyms:

interlock; lock

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

bosom; embrace; hug; squeeze (hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

lock (any wrestling hold in which some part of the opponent's body is twisted or pressured)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Hold in a locking position

Example:

He locked his hands around her neck

Synonyms:

interlace; interlock; lock

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

hold; take hold (have or hold in one's hands or grip)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

lock (any wrestling hold in which some part of the opponent's body is twisted or pressured)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Build locks in order to facilitate the navigation of vessels

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

build; construct; make (make by combining materials and parts)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

lock (enclosure consisting of a section of canal that can be closed to control the water level; used to raise or lower vessels that pass through it)

lockage (a system of locks in a canal or waterway)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Hold fast (in a certain state)

Example:

He was locked in a laughing fit

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

overcome; overpower; overtake; overwhelm; sweep over; whelm (overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sense 9

Meaning:

Pass by means through a lock in a waterway

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "lock" is one way to...):

pass (go across or through)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

lock (enclosure consisting of a section of canal that can be closed to control the water level; used to raise or lower vessels that pass through it)

lockage (passage through a lock in a canal or waterway)

lockage (a system of locks in a canal or waterway)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled hand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a grated door.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

They reeled about the room, locked in each other's arms, and came down with a crash across the splintered wreckage of a wicker chair.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

He locked the door and hurried past me without a word or a look.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They ascended, then, to Mr. Blessington’s room, the door of which they found to be locked.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"I'll lock White Fang in with the chickens all afternoon."

(White Fang, by Jack London)

But no sooner was Mr. Utterson alone that night, than he locked the note into his safe, where it reposed from that time forward.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

“Ben Gunn,” he answered, and his voice sounded hoarse and awkward, like a rusty lock.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

First she went to see if the hall-door was fastened; having taken the key from the lock, she led the way upstairs.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Who locked up the plans that night?

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

As he hung over the coffin, his face was concealed by long locks of ragged hair; but one vast hand was extended, in colour and apparent texture like that of a mummy.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)