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

The pandemic and lockdowns upended countless aspects of the way many of us perform our jobs, including what we should wear while doing so.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As emergency vehicles swarmed the area, the White House, located a few blocks from where the attack took place, and several embassies in the area went into lockdown.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The attack prompted the White House to briefly go into lockdown and a temporary flight stoppage at the city's main airport on the eve of Thanksgiving.

Read more on BBC

The White House was on lockdown on Wednesday afternoon, according to an administration official.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

During COVID, I lived in New York City and every day for three months from the very first day of the lockdown, I went out and I walked.

Read more on Los Angeles Times