lockdown

[ lok-doun ]

noun

1. the confining of prisoners to their cells, as following a riot or other disturbance:

   The prison lockdown continues, more than three weeks after the death of a guard.

2. a security measure taken during an emergency to prevent people from leaving or entering a building or other location: The governor implemented a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus—residents may not leave their homes for nonessential activities.

   The school remains under lockdown due to police activity in the area.

   The governor implemented a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus—residents may not leave their homes for nonessential activities.

   The army base was on lockdown after a report of shots fired.

3. a freeze or pause:

   Banks aren’t lending during this credit lockdown.

lockdown

/ ˈlɒkˌdəʊn /

noun

1. a security measure in which those inside a building such as a prison, school, or hospital are required to remain confined in it for a time

   many schools remained under lockdown yesterday

Word History and Origins

Origin of lockdown¹

First recorded in 1970–75; lock ¹ + -down, probably extracted from nouns formed from phrasal verbs, such as crackdown, shutdown, etc.

Example Sentences

She also said his preparation has been hampered by conditions at the jail, including frequent lockdowns and officers taking away the pens he uses to take notes.

From BBC

But if a lockdown was an hour or longer, Chait said, “that would be a situation where we would tell our folks, ‘Yes, go ahead and gives kids access to their phones.’”

From Los Angeles Times

Harvey previously told BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme she wrote Orbital over the course of successive lockdowns.

From BBC

But the current “green lockdown” has left her unimpressed.

From BBC

Street takeovers have become popular in Southern California since at least the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and have drawn the ire of public officials and community members as they’ve continually proved deadly.

From Los Angeles Times