locks

Noun

lock (plural locks)

1. Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination.
   • "Give me the key," said my mother; and though the lock was very stiff, she had turned it and thrown back the lid in a twinkling.1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC
2. (broadly) A mutex or other token restricting access to a resource.
   • [T]he application must first acquire a lock on a file or a portion of a file before reading data and modifying it.2005, Karl Kopper, The Linux Enterprise Cluster
3. A segment of a canal or other navigable waterway enclosed by gates, used for raising and lowering boats between levels.
   • Here the canal came to a check, ending abruptly with a large lock.1846, William Makepeace Thackeray, Notes of a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo
4. The firing mechanism in a gun.
   • "I never saw such a gun in my life," replied poor Winkle, looking at the lock, as if that would do any good.1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the chapter name)”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC
5. Complete control over a situation.
   • Even though he had not yet done so, Jack felt he had a lock on the game.2003, Charley Rosen, The Wizard of Odds
6. Something sure to be a success.
   • Brian thinks she's a lock to get a scholarship somewhere.2004, Avery Corman, A perfect divorce

See all 31 meanings of lock