lock up
/ˌlɒk ˈʌp/ verb
Forms locks up locking up locked up
- verb (transitive) To imprison or incarcerate (someone).
- verb (transitive) To put (something) away in a locked location for safekeeping; (occasionally, chiefly humorously) to sequester (a person) in a similar way. “Please lock up all valuables in the safe before leaving.”
- verb (intransitive) To close (and often lock) all doors and windows (of a place) securely.
- verb (transitive) To lock (a door, window, etc.). “That door still needs to be locked up.”
- verb (intransitive, computing) To cease responding. “When I press this button, the program locks up.”
- verb (transitive, computing) To cause (a program) to cease responding or to freeze. “If your password contains a particular string of letters, entering it can lock up the login form.”
- verb (intransitive, mechanics) To stop moving; to seize.
- verb (of a wheel) To stop spinning due to excessive braking torque.
Synonyms
send away shut away freeze freeze up hang hang up lock in lock away lock put away shut up
Antonyms
Etymology
From lock + up.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “lock up”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details