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14 dictionary results for: Lock
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
lock1       [lok] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a device for securing a door, gate, lid, drawer, or the like in position when closed, consisting of a bolt or system of bolts propelled and withdrawn by a mechanism operated by a key, dial, etc.
2.a contrivance for fastening or securing something.
3.(in a firearm)
a.the mechanism that explodes the charge; gunlock.
b.safety (def. 4).
4.any device or part for stopping temporarily the motion of a mechanism.
5.an enclosed chamber in a canal, dam, etc., with gates at each end, for raising or lowering vessels from one level to another by admitting or releasing water.
6.an air lock or decompression chamber.
7.complete and unchallenged control; an unbreakable hold: The congresswoman has a lock on the senatorial nomination.
8.Slang. someone or something certain of success; sure thing: He's a lock to win the championship.
9.Wrestling. any of various holds, esp. a hold secured on the arm, leg, or head: leg lock.
10.Horology. (in an escapement) the overlap between a tooth of an escape wheel and the surface of the pallet locking it.
11.Metalworking. a projection or recession in the mating face of a forging die.
–verb (used with object)
12.to fasten or secure (a door, window, building, etc.) by the operation of a lock or locks.
13.to shut in a place fastened by a lock or locks, as for security or restraint.
14.to make fast or immovable by or as if by a lock: He locked the steering wheel on his car.
15.to make fast or immovable, as by engaging parts: to lock the wheels of a wagon.
16.to join or unite firmly by interlinking or intertwining: to lock arms.
17.to hold fast in an embrace: She was locked in his arms.
18.to move (a ship) by means of a lock or locks, as in a canal (often fol. by through, in, out, down, or up).
19.to furnish with locks, as a canal.
–verb (used without object)
20.to become locked: This door locks with a key.
21.to become fastened, fixed, or interlocked: gears that lock into place.
22.to go or pass by means of a lock or locks, as a vessel.
23.to construct locks in waterways.
—Verb phrases
24.lock in,
a.to commit unalterably: to lock in the nomination of the party's candidates.
b.(of an investor) to be unable or unwilling to sell or shift securities.
25.lock off, to enclose (a waterway) with a lock.
26.lock on, to track or follow a target or object automatically by radar or other electronic means.
27.lock out,
a.to keep out by or as if by a lock.
b.to subject (employees) to a lockout.
28.lock up,
a.to imprison for a crime.
b.Printing. to make (type) immovable in a chase by securing the quoins.
c.to fasten or secure with a lock or locks.
d.to lock the doors of a house, automobile, etc.
e.to fasten or fix firmly, as by engaging parts.
—Idioms
29.lock horns, to come into conflict; clash: to lock horns with a political opponent.
30.lock, stock, and barrel, completely; entirely; including every part, item, or facet, no matter how small or insignificant: We bought the whole business, lock, stock, and barrel.
31.under lock and key, securely locked up: The documents were under lock and key.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME; OE loc fastening, bar; c. MLG lok, OHG loh, ON lok a cover, lid, Goth -luk in usluk opening; akin to OE lūcan to shut]

—Related forms
lockless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
lock2       [lok] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a tress, curl, or ringlet of hair.
2.locks,
a.the hair of the head.
b.short wool of inferior quality, as that obtained in small clumps from the legs.
3.a small tuft or portion of wool, cotton, flax, etc.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME locke, OE locc lock of hair, c. ON lokkr, D lok curl, G Locke]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
lock 1       (lŏk)  Pronunciation Key 


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n.  
  1. A device operated by a key, combination, or keycard and used, as on a door, for holding, closing, or securing.
  2. A section of a waterway, such as a canal, closed off with gates, in which vessels in transit are raised or lowered by raising or lowering the water level of that section.
  3. A mechanism in a firearm for exploding the charge.
  4. An interlocking or entanglement of elements or parts.
    1. Sports A hold in wrestling or self-defense that is secured on a part of an opponent's body.
    2. A secure hold; control: The distributor has a lock on most of the market.
    3. A sure thing; a certainty: His promotion is a lock.

v.   locked, lock·ing, locks

v.   tr.
    1. To fasten the lock of: close and lock a drawer.
    2. To shut or make secure with or as if with locks: locked the house.
    3. To sight and follow (a moving target) automatically: locked the enemy fighter in the gun sights.
    4. To aim (a weapon or other device) at a moving target so as to follow it automatically: "The pilot had locked his targeting radar on the slow-moving frigate" (Ed Magnuson).
    5. To equip (a waterway) with locks.
    6. To pass (a vessel) through a lock.
    7. To secure (letterpress type) in a chase or press bed by tightening the quoins.
    8. To fasten (a curved plate) to the cylinder of a rotary press.
    9. To end the processing of (a magnetic tape or disk) in such a way as to deny access to its contents.
    10. To protect (a file) from changes or deletion.
  2. To confine or exclude by or as if by means of a lock: locked the dog in for the night; locked the criminal up in a cell.
  3. To fix in place so that movement or escape is impossible; hold fast: The ship was locked in the ice through the winter. She felt that she had become locked into a binding agreement.
    1. To sight and follow (a moving target) automatically: locked the enemy fighter in the gun sights.
    2. To aim (a weapon or other device) at a moving target so as to follow it automatically: "The pilot had locked his targeting radar on the slow-moving frigate" (Ed Magnuson).
    3. To equip (a waterway) with locks.
    4. To pass (a vessel) through a lock.
    5. To secure (letterpress type) in a chase or press bed by tightening the quoins.
    6. To fasten (a curved plate) to the cylinder of a rotary press.
    7. To end the processing of (a magnetic tape or disk) in such a way as to deny access to its contents.
    8. To protect (a file) from changes or deletion.
  5. To engage and interlock securely so as to be immobile.
  6. To clasp or link firmly; intertwine: locked arms and walked away.
  7. To bind in close struggle or battle: The two dogs were locked in combat.
    1. To equip (a waterway) with locks.
    2. To pass (a vessel) through a lock.
    3. To secure (letterpress type) in a chase or press bed by tightening the quoins.
    4. To fasten (a curved plate) to the cylinder of a rotary press.
    5. To end the processing of (a magnetic tape or disk) in such a way as to deny access to its contents.
    6. To protect (a file) from changes or deletion.
  9. Printing
    1. To secure (letterpress type) in a chase or press bed by tightening the quoins.
    2. To fasten (a curved plate) to the cylinder of a rotary press.
    3. To end the processing of (a magnetic tape or disk) in such a way as to deny access to its contents.
    4. To protect (a file) from changes or deletion.
  10. To invest (funds) in such a way that they cannot easily be converted into cash.
  11. Computer Science
    1. To end the processing of (a magnetic tape or disk) in such a way as to deny access to its contents.
    2. To protect (a file) from changes or deletion.

v.   intr.
  1. To become fastened by or as if by means of a lock: The door locks automatically when shut.
  2. To become entangled; interlock.
  3. To become rigid or immobile: The mechanism tends to lock in cold weather.
  4. To pass through a lock or locks in a waterway.

Phrasal Verb(s):
lock out
To withhold work from (employees) during a labor dispute.

Idiom(s):
lock horns
To become embroiled in conflict.

Idiom(s):
lock, stock, and barrel
To the greatest or most complete extent; wholly: an estate that was auctioned off lock, stock, and barrel.

Idiom(s):
under lock and key
Securely locked up.

[Middle English, from Old English loc, bolt, bar.]

lock'a·ble adj.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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lock 2       (lŏk)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
    1. A length or curl of hair; a tress.
    2. The hair of the head. Often used in the plural.
  2. A small wisp or tuft, as of wool or cotton.


[Middle English, from Old English locc.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
lock  (1)
"means of fastening," O.E. loc "bolt, fastening, enclosure," from P.Gmc. *lokom/*lukom (cf. O.N. lok "fastening, lock," Goth. usluks "opening," O.H.G. loh "dungeon," Ger. Loch "opening, hole," Du. luck "shutter, trapdoor"). "The great diversity of meaning in the Teut. words seems to indicate two or more independent but formally identical substantival formations from the root." The river sense is from c.1300, on notion of "barrier, enclosure." Wrestling sense is from 1608. The lock of a firearm (1547) probably so called for its resemblance to a door-latching device. Locksmith first attested 1226. Locker is c.1440, from M.E. lokken. The verb is c.1300, from O.E. lucan "to lock, to close" (class II strong verb; past tense leac, pp. locen). Slang lock horns "fight" is from 1839. Lock-up "detention cell for offenders" is from 1839.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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lock  (2)
"tress of hair," from O.E. locc, from P.Gmc. *lukkoz (cf. O.N. lokkr, O.Fris., Du. lok, Ger. Locke "lock of hair"), from PIE *lugnos-, from base *lug- "to bend, to twist" (cf. Gk. lygos "pliant twig, withe," Lith. lugnas "flexible").

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
lock

noun
1. a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed 
2. a strand or cluster of hair 
3. a mechanism that detonates the charge of a gun 
4. enclosure consisting of a section of canal that can be closed to control the water level; used to raise or lower vessels that pass through it 
5. a restraint incorporated into the ignition switch to prevent the use of a vehicle by persons who do not have the key 
6. any wrestling hold in which some part of the opponent's body is twisted or pressured 

verb
1. fasten with a lock; "lock the bike to the fence" [ant: unlock] 
2. keep engaged; "engaged the gears" [syn: engage] [ant: disengage] 
3. become rigid or immoveable; "The therapist noticed that the patient's knees tended to lock in this exercise" [ant: unlock] 
4. hold in a locking position; "He locked his hands around her neck" 
5. become engaged or intermeshed with one another; "They were locked in embrace" [syn: interlock] 
6. hold fast (in a certain state); "He was locked in a laughing fit" 
7. place in a place where something cannot be removed or someone cannot escape; "The parents locked her daughter up for the weekend"; "She locked her jewels in the safe" [syn: lock in] 
8. pass by means through a lock in a waterway 
9. build locks in order to facilitate the navigation of vessels 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

lock

In addition to the idioms beginning with lock, also see under lock and key.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Lock Haven, PA (city, FIPS 44128) Location: 41.13594 N, 77.45322 W
Population (1990): 9230 (3302 housing units)
Area: 6.5 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 17745

Lock Springs, MO (town, FIPS 43472) Location: 39.84909 N, 93.77587 W
Population (1990): 57 (31 housing units)
Area: 0.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 64654

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Lock

Lock\, n. [AS. locc; akin to D. lok, G. locke, OHG. loc, Icel. lokkr, and perh. to Gr. ? to bend, twist.] A tuft of hair; a flock or small quantity of wool, hay, or other like substance; a tress or ringlet of hair.

These gray locks, the pursuivants of death. --Shak.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Lock

Lock\, n. [AS. loc inclosure, an inclosed place, the fastening of a door, fr. l[=u]can to lock, fasten; akin to OS. l[=u]kan (in comp.), D. luiken, OHG. l[=u]hhan, Icel. l?ka, Goth. l[=u]kan (in comp.); cf. Skr. ruj to break. Cf. Locket.]

1. Anything that fastens; specifically, a fastening, as for a door, a lid, a trunk, a drawer, and the like, in which a bolt is moved by a key so as to hold or to release the thing fastened.

2. A fastening together or interlacing; a closing of one thing upon another; a state of being fixed or immovable.

Albemarle Street closed by a lock of carriages. --De Quincey.

3. A place from which egress is prevented, as by a lock. --Dryden.

4. The barrier or works which confine the water of a stream or canal.

5. An inclosure in a canal with gates at each end, used in raising or lowering boats as they pass from one level to another; -- called also lift lock.

6. That part or apparatus of a firearm by which the charge is exploded; as, a matchlock, flintlock, percussion lock, etc.

7. A device for keeping a wheel from turning.

8. A grapple in wrestling. --Milton.

Detector lock, a lock containing a contrivance for showing whether it as has been tampered with.

Lock bay (Canals), the body of water in a lock chamber.

Lock chamber, the inclosed space between the gates of a canal lock.

Lock nut. See Check nut, under Check.

Lock plate, a plate to which the mechanism of a gunlock is attached.

Lock rail (Arch.), in ordinary paneled doors, the rail nearest the lock.

Lock rand (Masonry), a range of bond stone. --Knight.

Mortise lock, a door lock inserted in a mortise.

Rim lock, a lock fastened to the face of a door, thus differing from a mortise lock.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Lock

Lock\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Locked; p. pr. & vb. n. Locking.]

1. To fasten with a lock, or as with a lock; to make fast; to prevent free movement of; as, to lock a door, a carriage wheel, a river, etc.

2. To prevent ingress or access to, or exit from, by fastening the lock or locks of; -- often with up; as, to lock or lock up, a house, jail, room, trunk. etc.

3. To fasten in or out, or to make secure by means of, or as with, locks; to confine, or to shut in or out -- often with up; as, to lock one's self in a room; to lock up the prisoners; to lock up one's silver; to lock intruders out of the house; to lock money into a vault; to lock a child in one's arms; to lock a secret in one's breast.

4. To link together; to clasp closely; as, to lock arms. " Lock hand in hand." --Shak.

5. (Canals) To furnish with locks; also, to raise or lower (a boat) in a lock.

6. (Fencing) To seize, as the sword arm of an antagonist, by turning the left arm around it, to disarm him.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Lock

Lock\, v. i. To become fast, as by means of a lock or by interlacing; as, the door locks close.

When it locked none might through it pass. --Spenser.

To lock into, to fit or slide into; as, they lock into each other. --Boyle.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Lock

The Hebrews usually secured their doors by bars of wood or iron (Isa. 45:2; 1 Kings 4:3). These were the locks originally used, and were opened and shut by large keys applied through an opening in the outside (Judg. 3:24). (See KEY.) Lock of hair (Judg. 16:13, 19; Ezek. 8:3; Num. 6:5, etc.).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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locksmith servicing S. California Foreign and domestic locks
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