interlock

[ verb in-ter-lok, in-ter-lok; noun in-ter-lok ]

verb (used without object)

1. to fit into each other, as parts of machinery, so that all action is synchronized.
2. to interweave or interlace, one with another:

   The branches of the trees interlock to form a natural archway.

3. Railroads. (of switches, signals, etc.) to operate together in a prearranged order.

verb (used with object)

1. to lock one with another.
2. to fit (parts) together to ensure coordinated action.
3. Railroads. to arrange (switches, signals, etc.) to effect a predetermined sequence of movement.

noun

1. the fact or condition of interlocking or of being interlocked.
2. the existence or an instance of an interlocking directorate.
3. a device for preventing a mechanism from being set in motion when another mechanism is in such a position that the two operating simultaneously might produce undesirable results.
4. Also called ig·ni·tion in·ter·lock [ig-, nish, -, uh, n , in, -ter-lok]. a device or system that prevents an automotive engine from starting until the seat belt for any occupied front seat is fastened.
5. a stretch fabric made with a circular knitting machine having two alternating sets of long and short needles.
6. Movies. a device for synchronizing the action of a camera and sound recorder.

interlock

verb

1. to join or be joined firmly, as by a mutual interconnection of parts

noun

1. the act of interlocking or the state of being interlocked
2. a device, esp one operated electromechanically, used in a logic circuit or electrical safety system to prevent an activity being initiated unless preceded by certain events
3. a closely knitted fabric

adjective

1. (of fabric) closely knitted

Derived Forms

• ˈinterˌlocker, noun

Other Words From

• in·ter·lock·er noun
• un·in·ter·locked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of interlock¹

First recorded in 1625–35; inter- + lock ¹

Example Sentences

There were no fixed guards preventing access to the blades from the underside and there were not any interlocked guards which would stop the rotating blades.

From BBC

Performers cartwheeled and danced along an interlocking series of platforms.

From Los Angeles Times

Near the end of the opening ceremony, the Olympic flag was raised upside down, with the interlocking blue, black and red rings at the bottom instead of the top.

From Los Angeles Times

The term itself comes from The Combahee River Collective Statement, compiled in 1977 by Black, mostly queer, feminists who argued for approaching politics through their identity because “the major systems of oppression are interlocking.”

From Salon

She installed five giant tractor tires there, each engraved with pre-Hispanic symbols that merge with interlocking patterns and images of Maya gods to help “dignify the memories of migrants.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• interlace
• interlink
• intertwine