lock-in

American  

[lok-in] / ˈlɒkˌɪn /

noun

1. an act or instance of becoming unalterable, unmovable, or rigid.

2. commitment, binding, or restriction.

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lock-in British  

noun

1. an illegal session of selling alcohol in a bar after the time when it should, by law, be closed

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lock in Idioms  

1. Enclose, surround, as in The ship was completely locked in ice . [c. 1400s]

2. Also, lock into . Fix firmly in position, commit to something. This phrase often occurs as , as in She felt she was locked in a binding agreement , or Many of the stockholders are locked into their present positions . [Mid-1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of lock-in

First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase lock in

Example Sentences

A mortgage lock-in effect and rising interest rates also resulted in fewer people moving.

From The Wall Street Journal

Historically low mortgage rates followed by inflation fueled price appreciation and resulted in a lock-in effect for owners that is constricting the supply of homes for sale.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet when considering emergency appeals, the trick is to “balance the lock-in risk of saying too much against the transparency cost of saying too little,” Justice Barrett explains.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lowe’s and Home Depot cited high housing costs, a “lock-in effect,” and economic uncertainty, expecting pressures to persist.

From Barron's

“A persistent lock-in effect remains in place, keeping housing turnover and new home starts under pressure, leading us to expect improvement in both the housing and home improvement markets to be gradual,” Barron’s previously reported CEO Marvin R. Ellison said on the call.

From Barron's

Related Words

• apprehend
• commit
• detain
• hold
• incarcerate
• jail
• lock up
• remand