locking up

Verb

lock up (third-person singular simple present locks up, present participle locking up, simple past and past participle locked up)

1. (transitive) To imprison or incarcerate (someone).
   • In 1970, a new era of "getting tough" on young offenders really began to gather momentum with the incoming Conservative government. The number of juveniles locked up each year increased by 500% between 1965 and 1980.2020 July 23, Chris Daw, “'A stain on national life': why are we locking up so many children?'”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms:

   send away, shut away

2. (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.
3. (intransitive) To close (and often lock) all doors and windows (of a place) securely.
4. (transitive) To lock (a door, window, etc.).
   • That door still needs to be locked up.
5. (intransitive) To cease responding.
   • When I press this button, the program locks up.

   Synonyms:

   freeze, freeze up, hang, hang up

6. (transitive) 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.

See all 15 meanings of lock up