lockup

noun

lock·​up ˈläk-ˌəp How to pronounce lockup (audio)
Synonyms of lockupnext
1
: jail
especially : a local jail where persons are detained prior to court hearing
2
: an act of locking : the state of being locked

Synonyms of lockup

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of lockup in a Sentence

the firm conviction that juvenile offenders should never be held in adult lockups
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The New Jersey lockup where Agnello is incarcerated has housed some notable inmates over the years. — Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 That dynamic changed substantially last Thursday, when just over 911 million SpaceX shares became eligible for trading following the expiration of an initial lockup period. — Yun Li, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026 He was sentenced in absentia after refusing to leave the courthouse lockup and attend the sentencing hearing. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026 The lockup expiry is a liquidity event, the analysts explained, and so the big buyers wait for it. — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lockup

Word History

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lockup was in 1746

Rhymes for lockup

See All Rhymes for lockup

Browse Nearby Words

lock turtle
lockup
lock washer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lockup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lockup. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Legal Definition

lockup

noun
lock·​up
1
: a cell or group of cells (as in a courthouse) or jail where persons are held prior to a court hearing compare house of correction, house of detention, jail, penitentiary, prison
2
: the tactic of arranging with a friendly party an option to buy a valuable portion of one's corporate assets in order to discourage a takeover by another party

More from Merriam-Webster on lockup

Nglish: Translation of lockup for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All