lock up

verb

1. Alsolock inlock away tr to imprison or confine
2. to lock or secure the doors, windows, etc, of (a building)
3. tr to keep or store securely

   secrets locked up in history

4. tr to invest (funds) so that conversion into cash is difficult
5. printing to secure (type, etc) in a chase or in the bed of the printing machine by tightening the quoins

noun

1. the action or time of locking up
2. a jail or block of cells
3. a small shop with no attached quarters for the owner or shopkeeper
4. a garage or storage place separate from the main premises
5. stock exchange an investment that is intended to be held for a relatively long period
6. printing the pages of type held in a chase by the positioning of quoins

adjective

1. lock-up (of premises) without living accommodation

   a lock-up shop

Example Sentences

Phones will not be allowed during lunch or breaks, and each campus will decide how the devices will be stored or locked up.

From Los Angeles Times

In “Boys,” Elwood and Turner are locked up in a reform school in 1960s Florida and become allies and friends quickly to survive.

From Los Angeles Times

The move, which defies a UN recommendation, means potentially locking up even more young people.

From BBC

They are frustrated with the sense of disorder they see in brazen smash-and-grab robberies and stores locking up everyday goods because of retail theft.

From Los Angeles Times

And it hits a nerve in Los Angeles, where certain supermarket aisles are now locked up, shoplifting has increased and people openly use drugs.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ban
• block
• cancel
• censor
• deny
• deprive
• disallow
• enjoin
• exclude
• freeze
• halt
• hinder
• impede
• inhibit
• oppose
• preclude
• prevent
• proscribe
• restrain
• restrict